To Save the Life of a Mudblood
by Aleisha Potter
Summary: When Hermione runs afoul of a spell in Malfoy Manor, Draco helps her in the only way he can: by taking her to bed. Now they must face their friends, their family and one pissed off wife. Plus some unexpected consequences.
1. The Spell

**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, however much I want to be. I own nothing associated with Harry Potter, only this particular plot. I am making no money from this, no infringement intended, I just play with them, then give them back!**

**A/N: This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, so I gave up and wrote it. Please let me know what you think and if you think I should continue. Now, on to my other stories. Please Read/Review!**

**To Save the Life of a Mudblood**

Hermione Granger sat in middle of the luxurious library on the second floor of Malfoy Manor. Ancient, rare tombs surrounded her as she carefully sorted through which ones she could safely touch and which ones she would have to entrust to the younger Malfoy to copy.

Lucius Malfoy had surprised the Wizarding world when he had announced his intention to allow copies of his entire library to be given to the Ministry for reference and to help train future Aurors against the Dark Arts. Hermione had jumped at the chance to get her hands on some of the books rumored to reside within the walls of Malfoy Manor. To no one's surprise, she was eagerly chosen to sort through the giant collection and begin the copying. Draco Malfoy had been instructed to help her with anything she could possibly need and to be there to copy some of the rather "squicky" books that refused to allow her "tainted blood" near them.

So she found herself in the middle of piles of aged, Dark books with a sullen Draco seated on the leather lounge chair reading an old potions book at nearly eleven o'clock at night. She had no doubt that Draco was rather unhappy at having to call his honeymoon short to come and aid the insufferable muggleborn with such a tedious task. The younger Malfoy had told her what to look for when it came to books that would curse her for touching them. She knew, mostly, which books to steer clear of.

Hermione heaved a large Arithmancy tomb to the right side, with the other books she intended to copy for Hogwarts as well as the Ministry. Underneath sat a very thin, very old book. It was dark green leather, wrinkled with age, with gold trimming and gold lettering. The words on the front were a language that she was not familiar with. She carefully opened the book, surprised to find only one thick page between the covers. Only three short sentences, all written in the same odd language as the cover, graced the thick page. The sentences looked handwritten in beautiful, gold ink. She ran her fingers over the beautiful page, quietly speaking the words aloud.

As the words rolled off her tongue, she saw Draco shoot up from his seat in front of the fire. "Granger, no!" he called, rushing to her side.

As the last word made its way from her mouth, she felt a stirring of magic. A gush of wind rolled through the large library, ruffling the occupants' hair, then silence.

"What have you done?" he demanded, grabbing the book from her limp hands.

"I was just reading it!" she bit out defensively.

"Granger, you are supposed to be the smartest witch of your age. Why would you do something so stupid?" He glanced down at the book and paled. "Do you know what this is?"

"No. I don't even recognize the language," she admitted.

"It's Romanian. This is an ancient spell once used in arranged marriages to ensure consummation."

"What do you mean?"

Draco smirked. "I mean you best make your way to the 'hovel' that Weaslebee calls a home and jump him if you want to survive to see the sunrise."

Hermione just stared at him, completely confused.

He sighed, then began to explain. "In the past, Pureblood marriages were always arranged marriages. Not only that, but many times they were marriages between old men and young, teenage girls. To insure that both parties would follow through with the marital demands, this spell would be used. It binds the two, physically and forces consummation of the marriage by midnight on the night of the ritual."

"What happens if they don't?"

"Death."

Hermione looked up at the younger Malfoy, fear evident in her eyes. "So…I have to…"

"Like I said, you best go find your dear Weasley, and quick. It is…" he glanced at his watch. "Eleven ten, you have fifty minutes to find and seduce to poor git."

"I…I can't. He's in the States for Auror training," she whispered quietly, her face deathly pale and her heart missing a few beats as it thudded against her heaving chest.

Malfoy looked uncomfortable for a minute. "Well, go find Potter, I'm sure he would take one for the team."

"He's on his honeymoon with Ginny." Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

Draco fidgeted even more at her words. "Well, go to a pub, find someone and…and drag them home, then Obliviate them."

Hermione looked at the pureblood with disgust. "I can't do that!"

"Well, what's your other option? Death?"

The ex-Gryffindor started shaking. "I don't have a choice, do I?" She glanced at the clock on the mantel. It read 11:25. "Do I even have time?"

Malfoy glanced back down at his watch, worry evident in his face. "I'll have to take down the wards before you can even floo out of here, I forgot about that."

Hermione's breaths were coming in pants now, panic overwhelming her as she tried to come to a solution for her stupidity.

"I'll never make it," she whispered, fear evident in her voice.

Draco clenched his jaw. He had never cared for the insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor who had bested him at every turn while in school, but he hardly wished for her death. Not only would it look bad if she died here in the Manor, but he had a feeling his conscience would never let him be if he allowed her to die while in his power to stop it. 

"Damn it, Granger, let's go," he bit out, grabbing her arm and hoisting her up. He dragged her towards the door to the library.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think? I'm not about to let you die while in my care at my home."

"Malfoy! You can't! You're…you're married! You hate me…I hate you."

"Stating the obvious, Granger? And to think they called you intelligent. Regardless of what you may believe, I don't hate you, I just don't like you. More importantly, I don't want to see you die."

Draco dragged her up a flight of stairs, down a long hallway to stop before two large oak doors. He opened one side and led her into his private rooms. They were immaculate and elegant. Shades of blue with silver trimmings gave the room the appearance of an icy, winter scene.

Hermione hadn't spoken since he pulled her from the library but suddenly found that her voice had returned.

"Malfoy, you…you can't be serious."

"Would you rather die?"

"No…but…"

"We don't have a lot of time. Make your choice."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked resignedly. 

"Well, you should probably start by taking off your clothes," he snarked.

Hermione paled. "Malfoy…I…I'm a v-virgin."

Draco spun around in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt. His jaw clenched as he stared at her. He glanced at the clock beside his giant four poster bed. It read twenty till. 

"I'm sorry. Granger, we don't have much time, I…I'll be as gentle as I can."

"What exactly do we have to do?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't know much about the spell. I would hazard a guess that I would only need to…penetrate you to appease it, but I'm not sure I want to take the chance. It may need actually spilling of seed to break it. I think it's best if…if we go through with the whole thing, to be on the safe side."

Hermione nodded.

"Granger, your clothes."

"Oh."

Hermione carefully began taking off her shoes, socks and pants. She froze when she stood before him in only her tee shirt and knickers. Draco sighed and took pity on her situation. He picked up his wand and moved it in circles before her, transfiguring her shirt into a rather modest, spaghetti strap night dress.

"I know a spell that will help. Just…just lay down and…and I'll cast it."

Hermione stiffly got into bed, more scared at that moment than she had been since facing Death Eaters during the Final Battle. She watched as Draco paused for a moment then glanced down at his left hand. He reached over and removed his wedding ring, placing it on the bedside table.

"Feeling guilty?" she asked, trying to laugh at the situation.

"No. It has a Fidelity Charm on it, and I'd rather not get my bits cursed off for trying to help you."

"Oh."

Draco stared down at the last person in the world he would have expected to have in his bed. He knew that Astoria would probably kill him once he explained what happened and was secretly glad that she would be in France with her mother for the rest of the month.

He knew a couple spells that would help the situation, but watching Granger lay back on his pillow, her hair fanning out around her, caused his lower body to heat up. Wearing nothing but the thin night dress showed her curves off for him to see much better than the bulky robes he had always seen her in while they were at school. He was surprised to find that he probably wouldn't need the spell he had planned to use on himself. The other spell would be for her and would help her be more "prepared" for him, seeing as he really didn't have time for foreplay.

He glanced once again at the clock and cursed. Ten minutes. Damn.

"We're running out of time. Granger…_Hermione_," the name felt foreign on his tongue, "I'm sorry. This is going to hurt, and I don't have the time to go slowly."

She just nodded, praying it would be over with quickly. Draco removed all his clothes, save for his boxers and slid under the covers. Once he was completely concealed from view, he removed his final piece of clothing, leaving him naked beneath the heavy fabric. Hermione noticed how toned his chest was before diverting her eyes. Draco took his wand and cast a wordless spell against her abdomen. She immediately felt a warm gush rush down to rest between her legs, a light tingle tickling her center. He then cast another spell at her abdomen, this one he spoke aloud. She recognized it as a Contraceptive Charm, having heard Ginny practice it many times before her wedding.

Draco met her eyes, "I'm sorry," he apologized again before crawling on top of her and coming to rest between her legs. "You're going to have to spread your legs wider."

She followed his instructions, every muscle in her body tense, the heat in her lower stomach beginning to ache. She sucked in a breath when she felt the tip of his penis rest against her now wet entrance. He hesitated only a second before kissing her as he thrust inside her, tearing through her hymen in one go. His kiss swallowed the scream of pain that erupted from her mouth as her virginity was roughly taken. She felt tears leak out of her eyes. She refused to open them, afraid of what she would see. 

Draco paused for a second to allow her to adjust, but knew he didn't have time to do it properly. He watched her face contort in pain as he moved carefully out only to push back in, deeper than before.

"Ow," she whimpered.

"Shh..It will be over soon," he murmured, hoping to bring her comfort, but knowing that none would be found until he was removed from her body. He glanced at the clock. Three minutes till midnight. Damn. He sped up his thrusts, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the act and the feelings. Soon he felt the ache in his lower back that always preceded his orgasm. Quickening his thrusts, but keeping them as gentle as possible, he finally found his release. With a grunt, he spilled his life-saving seed deeply inside her. With the last wave of pleasure, the old Grandfather clock in the hall began to chime midnight.

He carefully pulled out of the witch, watching her wince slightly at the movement.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She only nodded, not trusting her voice. "I know what will help." He sat up and grabbed his boxers, pulling them on before exiting the bed. He made his way over to her side, gingerly picking her up.

"Malfoy! What are you doing?"

"I'm carrying you. A hot bath, with some healing oils, with help with the ache," he told her as he carried her to his own private bath.

The bathroom was huge, a large sunken bath in once corner drew her gaze.

"Kipsy," he called out.

"Yous called, Master Draco?" a small house-elf appeared in the bathroom and bowed deeply.

"I need you to run Miss Granger a bath, throw in the Lavender Oil," he commanded.

"Yes, master," the tiny elf squeaked, hurrying to do his master's bidding.

Draco left without another word, allowing the distraught girl the privacy she needed to deal with what had just happened. He figured she would bathe, then he could put her up in the guest room for the night. Tomorrow they could go about their normal business as adults should. They both understood that what had happened had to have happened in order to save her life. They could be grown-up about this.

Two stories below, in the elegant study of the Manor, the beautifully stitched Malfoy Family Tree glowed gold. The delicate gold stitching that read "Astoria Greengrass" unraveled itself, then restitched to form "Hermione Granger".

A/N; Thanks again for reading...if you want me to post more, please, let me know. That's the only way I know if people like it or not! Thanks!


	2. The Repercussions

**A/N: Well, I got more feedback than I thought, so I decided to go ahead and post the second chapter. I'm being serious when I say I really shouldn't be writing this with the other things I have to do, but I will continue as long as I get reviews. If the reviews stop, then the story stops. Lol, I really like this idea and I am enjoying it, but if other people don't want to read it, then…but it sounds like people do, so I give you the next part! Thank you so much for the reviews! Cookies to everybody!**

**The Repercussions**

Draco stood staring out the large window in his bedroom. Hermione was still in the bath and the house-elves had just finished preparing the guest bedroom down from his. He had also ordered the elves to change the linens on his bed, not sure that he could deal with smelling her perfume on his pillows all night. That added to the twinge of guilt he felt when he noticed the small smear of blood from her hymen breaking had him calling on the house-elves immediately.

Now he stood, clad in only his black silk pajama bottoms, watching the moon perched high in the cold night sky, thinking about what had just happened. He never thought it would be possible, but he actually felt _bad_ for Granger. Perhaps it was a sign he had finally grown-up. Either way, it was a different sensation, this odd feeling of…pity.

Suddenly his musings were interrupted by a _bang!_ He turned sharply, seeing his father standing in his doorway, wand out and looking around the room furiously.

"Where is she?" he seethed.

Draco froze, fear running rampant through his mind. How had his father known? "What are you talking about, Father?"

"Draco, don't. I am not one of your ignorant little school friends. Now tell me, where is the Mudblood?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted before he could answer. Hermione had unfortunately chosen that moment to exit the bathroom, dressed only in one of Draco's plush, dark green bathrobes, her wet hair falling in dark curls around her shoulders. She froze when her gaze fell on the elder Malfoy.

Draco watched his fathers face flush with rage, his hand tightened painfully on his wand. 

"What have you _done?_" he hissed at his son, his gaze traveling down to Draco's bare left ring finger.

The younger Malfoy couldn't understand his father's reaction. Lucius Malfoy had hardly been loyal to his wife, granted he had probably never taken a Mud…muggleborn to his bed, but still…

Draco opened his mouth to defend himself when Lucius surged forward catching his son's arm roughly in his tight grip.

"You stupid boy!" he hissed, dragging his son towards the door. Suddenly he turned, pointing his wand at Hermione. "You, follow me, now," he commanded.

Hermione, shocked and unsure, followed the enraged Patriarch, praying that he wouldn't turn his wand on her as she didn't have her own wand, and wasn't sure where Malfoy had put it while she was bathing.

Lucius dragged his son roughly down to the bottom floor of the Manor and into the large study. He stopped just inside the door and waited for the muggleborn to enter. He grabbed her arm in his other hand, griping her hard enough to bruise. He dragged both of them to the wall that held the Malfoy Family Tree, stopping at the far right end, the end that held the information about his immediate family. He dropped both arms, turning to face his son. 

"Well, Draco, what do you have to say for your…_foolish_ behavior?" he asked, anger evident in every word. Draco was utterly confused until he glanced at the elegant tapestry. Suddenly, all the color faded from his face. Finally he understood his father's rage. There in the far bottom right corner, where it had once read "Draco Malfoy Astoria Greengrass" it now read "Draco Malfoy Hermione Granger". He heard Granger gasp on the other side of his father, knowing she had also seen the gold stitching.

"What? How?" she whispered.

"How indeed," Lucius growled.

"Oh, shit," Draco whispered, realizing there must have been so much more to that spell, it was the only explanation. Perhaps there was much more to the "physically binding one to another" than simply consummating a marriage.

"The spell. Malfoy! I thought it was simply a matter of…sex! What the hell?" she asked, stepping around the older Malfoy to face his son.

"What spell?"

"In the library, Grandfather's Romanian Marriage book, the one he gave Grandmother. She didn't know what it was, she read it out loud. It was late…we didn't know what else to do," he tried to explain, feeling like a ten year old caught playing with is father's broom.

"Show me, NOW!"

Draco led his father and Hermione up to the library, walking over to the pile of books they had left in the floor in their haste to get to his bedroom. He picked up the old thin book, handing it to his father.

Lucius's face paled. He gently took the book in his hands, opening it and silently reading the words. His knuckles whitened as he griped the leather.

"Do you know what this is Draco?"

"You told me it was a spell used in arranged marriages, to force consummation."

"Yes, that is what I told you, when you were twelve! It is so much more than that! It is the spell read, by both parties, at the marriage. Then the spell, as well as the marriage, is consummated, binding the couple together. It is old, powerful magic, one of the few things that can dissolve a modern Wizarding marriage. It is a much deeper and stronger bond than the one which you and Astoria chose to participate in."

Draco took two deep breaths, forcing himself not to embarrass himself in front of his father. He turned his gaze toward Hermione, noticing that she had collapsed in the leather chair he had occupied earlier that night. Her face was devoid of any color, a look of horror graced her features.

"So, how do we fix this?" he asked his father once he had regained the use of his voice.

"As far as I know, we can't."

"What?" Hermione yelped.

"As I said, this is Old Magic. There is a reason the Ministry stopped using this particular spell. While it is rare, wizards and witches at times find that they wish to dissolve their marriages, so a weaker binding spell was used in place of ones such as this. I don't know if it can be reversed."

"But, Father, we didn't both read the spell. Only Granger did."

"But you took her to your bed, willingly, am I correct?"

Draco blushed. "Yes."

"Then the end result is the same."

The younger Malfoy stood in the middle of the library, unsure what to say or where to go from there. He could hear sniffling coming from behind him and guessed that Granger was crying. 

"I am going to owl Maurice and Helena. I suggest you get some sleep, if possible, for tomorrow, all hell will break lose," his father drawled, anger still very evident in his words. "Now, get out of my sight, and take Granger with you."

Draco walked over the arm chair, taking Hermione's arm in his hand, not griping as hard as his father, but still holding her firmly. He pulled her out of the library and led her back to his room.

"Fuck, Granger, I'm screwed," he told her, taking her wand out of the drawer in his bedside table and handing it to her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wondering what the hell could have possessed her to read the unknown words. She hadn't known they were an incantation, but dear Merlin, she was smarter than that! Her eyes landed on Draco's discarded wedding ring. "Malfoy, what is the point of having a Fidelity Charm on a ring you can take off?" she asked, hoping to distract her thoughts for a minute from their situation.

Draco looked up confused, then understanding dawned on him when he saw his ring. He walked over and picked it up, turning it over in his hand. 

"This ring and Astoria's are my great-grandparents' rings. They have been in our family for generations. The Fidelity Charm is standard and rather common amongst Pureblood families. When placed on an object it can last for hundreds of years, never needing to be recast. Normally the ring is also enchanted to be irremovable. Astoria and I…chose not to charm the rings, preferring to be able to remove them if we wanted to."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You meant to cheat on your wife?"

"No, but…Granger, I don't expect you to understand. I didn't marry for love. I married for influence, for political reasons. The match was a good one. Her family is powerful and well-known, but I do not love her. It wasn't so much that I was planning on infidelity, it was more that I just didn't care whether she was loyal or not, as long as she gave me an heir and was discreet…" he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

Hermione bit her tongue, deciding to withhold her thoughts on his marriage. "How long do you have before Astoria realizes what happened?"

"There's a good chance she already knows. Once the marriage was dissolved, she wouldn't have been able to wear the ring any longer; it would have burnt her hand."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Well you should be!" he finally snapped. "Damn it, Granger! Even Goyle knows not to read from an unknown book!"

Hermione flinched as his words. "I know! I don't know why I read it! It…it's like it was calling to me, tempting me…" she whispered.

He found his anger draining, exhaustion taking over. "Let me show you where you can sleep for the night, tomorrow we'll…we'll figure something out." He led her out to the hall, then down to the next door. 

"Thank you," she whispered, afraid to enrage him again.

He didn't answer, just turned and made his way back to his room, slamming the door. He glanced down at his fisted hand, opening it to reveal his ring. "Shit," he mumbled.

"Kipsy," he called out.

"Yes, master?" the small elf appeared, bowing to Draco.

"Make sure Miss Granger has everything she needs…transfigure something for her to sleep in," he ordered.

The elf bowed once more before popping out again.

It was so easy to blame Granger, to hate her for fucking up his life, but he knew it wasn't only her fault. He should have been paying closer attention to what she was doing. He also should have known more about the spell. He had blindly taken her to his bed, without thinking that there could have been more to the spell. Now her life was as fucked up as his. He had a feeling her friends weren't going to be thrilled with this latest development.

Draco lay down in his bed, his thoughts spinning out of control. Finally he fell into an uneasy sleep, plagued with dreams of his wife…_ex_-wife casting the Cruciatus Curse numerous times, then Granger standing before him, a young brown-haired, grey eyed little boy standing beside her and finally of his father, disappointment etched on his face, turning his wand on the small boy and shouting "Avada Kedavra!"

A/N: Well, again, tell me what you think. I have one more chapter written, then I just have ideas. If you still like it and think I should continue, please let me know! Thank you for reading!  Thanks again Kady, for betaing, I am looking for a permanent beta, so you can get back to your life! I love ya darling! I promise Hermione will be much more animated in the coming chapters. She's just in shock at the moment, I plan on having good ole Hermione back when she wakes up the next morning.


	3. Part of the Family

**A/N: Well, here is chapter three. From here on out the updates will probably be a little slower. I am in pain and my writing feels normal, but if it's not, then my broken toe is to blame! Thanks Kady, again for betaing, I will find another beta, in fact I may have one, so be patient! I hope the you all fell Hermione is a little more normal now, give the girl a break, after everything she went through, she should be allowed to be a little off! Lol, please, tell me what you think, I thrive on reviews, plus they encourage me so much! I am going to continue with this, I have fallen in love with it and couldn't bear to quit, but I still like to know if you are enjoying it! Thanks for reading so far and I hope you will continue. And I know the last chapter title was misspelled, lol, but I haven't gone back to fix it yet, I will, eventually. Lol.**

**Part of the Family**

Draco awoke to a loud banging on his bedroom door. Before he could answer, the door banged open. He blinked, trying to focus on the figure standing in the doorway. Hermione paused only for a moment before breezing into his room, coming to stop at the foot of his bed. 

"Malfoy, wake up," she commanded. He opened his eyes further to glare at the alert muggleborn.

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Nine a.m. Now get up and get dressed. We are going down to your library and we are going to search every book in that damned place until we figure out a way to reverse this."

"Damn it, Granger. Nine a.m.? Can't you let a guy get some sleep?"

"You can sleep once this is fixed. Now, up!"

Draco mumbled something incoherent before lazily rousing himself from his warm bed. He smirked when she blushed at his barely dressed form.

"Enjoying the view?"

"You wish," she scowled at him before turning and heading back to the doorway. She turned just as she reached the exit. "I'll be back in ten minutes and you had better be ready."

Draco laughed silently at that. Her tone could rival his father's when she was in one her "moods". He made his way over to the elegant armoire that stood in the corner nearest the large window and retrieved a pair of casual trousers and a dark blue button up shirt. He took his clothes into his bathroom and prepared for a quick shower.

Once he was through with his shower, he threw on his clothes, used a drying spell on his hair, then made his way down the hall to the guest room. He knocked once and the door immediately opened.

"Ready?" she asked without preamble.

"Yes, let's go."

The couple made their way down stairs to the large library. The books that had littered the floor the night before were now in neat piles on the many tables littered throughout the large room.

"Where should we start?" he asked.

She seemed to think about that for a minute before finally answering, "I don't know."

"I have a suggestion. That spell, it borders on Dark Magic, most binding spells do, so I think our best bet would probably be with the older books in my father's private study. We should start there and if we don't find anything, then we can move to the larger collection here."

"Alright. That makes sense, but, how will your father take to us invading his…_private_ study?"

"If it means finding a way out of this? I think he will be accommodating."

"Okay, lead the way then."

Draco led her back out into the hallway, then down to the bottom floor of the Manor. He swept past the formal study that held the Family Tree to a room two doors down. He paused outside of the door, wondering if his father could possibly be up yet. Erring on the side of caution, he swiftly rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Enter."

Draco frowned. He had hoped he wouldn't have to face his father yet this morning. He opened the door, motioning for Granger to follow him.

"Father. How are you this morning?" he asked politely.

"How do you think? Maurice, Helena and Astoria will be coming for lunch. I expect both you and Miss Granger to attend." He looked up then, noticing Hermione standing beside his son. He scowled.

"Of course, Father, we will be there. In the formal dining room?"

"No, the sitting room. Much more comfortable."

"Father, could we possible go through some of your books. We are hoping to find some way to undo this spell. I thought some of your…older and more powerful books might have an answer."

"You may look all you like, but don't expect to find anything."

"And how can you be sure? If it hasn't been used in ages, then how do you know for sure that it can't be undone?" Hermione bit out.

His father's eyes narrowed at the young muggleborn. "Miss Granger, if it could be undone so easily, do you think it would have been replaced?"

"Well, just because it can't be undone _easily_ doesn't mean it can't be undone at all, it just may be a little difficult. I refuse to believe there isn't some way to reverse this," she huffed.

He smirked. "Well, I can point you to the book that has all the information I know of about the spell, which is sad to say, very little, but I doubt you will find what you are looking for. Tell me, Miss Granger, can you read Romanian?"

"Obviously not, or I would have known what the spell said," she spat, anger growing.

"Do watch your tone, my dear." He stood up from behind his desk. He was dressed in black trousers and a loose, button up black dress shirt. No robes were adorning his body this morning and Hermione found it very odd to see him so casually dressed.

He walked over to a large bookshelf to the right of the window. He took down an old, large dusty tome. He opened it and flicked through the pages, finally finding what he was searching for. 

"Do you know a Translation Charm?"

"Yes." 

He handed her the book. She waved her wand, casting the correct charm then began to read.

"What does it mean, 'If blood has not been spilt, then he that spilt it may challenge.'?"

"It's speaking of your virginity. If my son was not the first to lie with you, then whoever was may challenge the bond."

"Oh." So much for that, she thought as a blush crept up her cheeks.

Draco came up behind her to read over her shoulder. This time he asked a question.

"What does it mean by, 'The lunar's pull shall initiate the bond.'?"

"That doesn't sound right. Some Old Romanian words are not translatable into English. Remove the spell," he ordered.

Hermione waved her wand as the oldest Malfoy came to stand behind her and his son. He read through the passage in the original language. He seemed to be thinking deeply for a moment before finally speaking.

"I believe the 'lunar's pull' speaks of the full moon. And initiate isn't the right word. I believe it is saying that your…feelings and desires, caused by the bond, will be strengthened by the full moon."

"Feelings and desires? But I have no feelings or desires, at least not where your son is concerned."

"Oh, I am sure you have feelings and desires, just not the ones the book refers to."

Hermione looked unsure at those words.

"He's right Granger. You have feelings…feelings of hate. And I'm sure you have desires, like the desire to throttle me," Draco spoke up, amused at the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"Very funny, Malfoy. Seriously, what does it mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Miss Granger. Tonight is the full moon, perhaps we shall find out."

Hermione huffed. She closed the book with a sigh. 

"That was a whole lot of help," she said sarcastically.

"Well, help yourself to the other books; I am going to take my leave now. I think I need a strong drink before the Greengrasses arrive."

"When will they be here, Father?"

"Noon. As I said, I expect both of you in the sitting room at ten till twelve."

"Of course, Father. We will be there."

Lucius Malfoy nodded at his son then turned his gaze on Hermione. He gave her a devilish smile. 

"I will see you at lunch, _Lady Malfoy_."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Malfoy patriarch and opened her mouth to retaliate. Draco grabbed her shoulder, stopping her before she could say anything.

"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, don't give him the satisfaction," whispered to her as his father swept out of the room. "Now, let's see what else we can find."

Lucius made his way down to the library, musing on his son's latest mishap. He had been reading in the study last night when the glowing tapestry had caught his eye. To say the least, he was shocked to find his daughter-in-law's name slowly unraveling from the old fabric. He was even more shocked when the stitching reformed into the name "Hermione Granger." He had been furious. He didn't know what his son had done to dissolve his marriage, much less to form a second one so quickly, but he knew it couldn't have been anything good.

After learning the truth, his anger had diminished somewhat. He was still angry and unsure what they would tell Astoria and her family, but he couldn't really fault his son for his actions. He might be a Malfoy and a former Death Eater, but he was a changed man and he was still human. He understood his son's inability to allow an innocent person to die while in his power to stop it.

And in truth, he had never really cared for Astoria Greengrass. She was a dull girl with shit for brains. She was eye-candy and good for very little else. Hermione Granger on the other hand, was a whole other story. While it was unfortunate that her blood was…tainted, he was rather pleased with her intelligence. Granted, reading that spell had been rather stupid, but he could understand the pull of a Dark spell on such an innocent soul. Also, from a political standpoint, who better to be associated with than Harry Potter's best friend and heroine of the Second War?

Even socially, this could be a good thing. His family would be looked upon with awe, the idealistic Pureblood family, paving the way, bridging the gap between the Wizarding world and the Muggle one. Yes, this could be a good thing. If his son's ex-wife didn't kill Miss Granger that is.

Hermione and Draco searched through every book they could find that had anything to do with marriage and binding spells, but found nothing that would help them. Draco glanced at his watch. He leaned over to tap Hermione on the shoulder. Her eyes were closed and he wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"Wha…" she mumbled, slowly opening her eyes.

"We need to get ready for lunch."

"Get ready? What's wrong with the way I'm dressed now?" she asked groggily.

"Well for starters, your clothes are glaringly Muggle. If you are going to face the Greengrass family, I suggest you at least give the appearance of a proper witch."

"I don't have any robes. And why should I care what they think of me?"

"Kipsy can transfigure some for you, and you should care because…well…Astoria is going to be pissed enough, why upset her more? I think she's less likely to attack you in a nice set of robes, than if you parade around in those…clothes, announcing your heritage so loudly."

Hermione scowled, but decided not to argue. It really wasn't worth it.

"Fine, let's go."

Thirty minutes later, Hermione and Draco entered the lavish sitting room to find Narcissa and Lucius sitting at a small, cozy round table near the open window. Lucius's eyes roamed over her body, taking in her appearance. She was surprised to see a pleased expression on his face as he nodded to her.

"Miss Granger, I don't believe you have met my wife. Narcissa, Hermione Granger." Narcissa stood up from the table and approached the young muggleborn.

"Miss Granger, it's a pleasure to meet you," she spoke in rather clipped tones, but did extend her hand without hesitation. Hermione shook the proffered hand.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Please, call me Narcissa. Considering the…circumstances, I don't believe we should worry about propriety."

"Alright…Narcissa," she said, trying out the unfamiliar name. It sounded odd on her tongue and to her ears.

"Miss Granger, it is refreshing to see that you do actually wear something besides those awful things Muggles call clothes," Lucius drawled, not moving from his seat by the window.

Hermione glared at him, noticing that his words, while aggravating, held no malice to them, rather as if he was teasing her. It was an odd sensation.

Draco and Hermione took their seats at the table, surprisingly between the elder Malfoys. Lucius sat to Draco's right and Narcissa to Hermione's left. She figured it was for protection. She had a feeling Draco's wife…ex-wife…was not going to take this well at all.

A tiny house-elf popped into the room. It bowed low and addressed Lucius.

"Master Malfoy, Mistress Astoria and her family is here. Should Basey shows them in?"

"Yes, Basey, please escort our guests into the sitting room."

The elf popped out and soon returned, leading three figures into the room.

Lucius stood and made his way over to the stiff figures.

"Maurice, Helena, thank you for coming, please be seated, lunch is about to be served."

"Lucius. Narcissa," Maurice greeted the Malfoys, no pleasure gracing his words.

The Greengrasses sat at the table, Astoria directly across from Draco, glaring at him the entire time.

No sooner had the family sat down when the youngest Greengrass burst out at her husband.

"Draco, what the hell is going on? What is _she_ doing here? Why did my ring burn the life out of my finger?"

"Astoria, please, calm yourself. We would all like answers to those questions, but we must be calm about it," her father spoke, his icy glare landing on Hermione.

"I apologize for the ring, Astoria. As for the problem? Well, I daresay it is a rather long story," Lucius spoke calmly, his gaze moving from one member of the family to another.

"Miss Granger has been helping in our library here at the Manor, preparing for the donation I am giving to the Ministry. You know this and you also know that I requested Draco's help with this, since he knows that library so well, he would also know which books were unsafe for her to touch, for…unfortunate reasons.

"Last night, the two stumbled upon and old spell with…unforeseen consequences. It was an old Romanian Marriage Binding spell, forcing…consummation within a set time or they would face death.

"Neither was aware that by saving themselves from the spell they would negate Draco's previous marriage," Lucius explained. Hermione noticed how he worded it, making it appear that Draco was under the spell as well. He made it seem as if Draco himself would have perished if he had not performed the desired act. How very Slytherin of him.

Astoria and her parents sat still in shock. Finally she found her voice.

"So…we can just go before the Ministry and have them nullify the bond, then we can reform our own and we'll just forget this every happened."

"It's not that easy. That spell was old and powerful. I'm afraid there is no known way to reverse it."

Astoria's fists clenched. She turned her angry gaze on Hermione.

"You filthy Mudblood! You did this on purpose!"

"Astoria!" her mother cried out at her language.

Hermione jumped to her feet.

"How dare you! As if I would choose this!"

"Why wouldn't you? You are now a member of one of the most powerful families in all of England, you are richer than you could possibly imagine and you have Draco, why wouldn't you choose this?" Astoria stood up as well.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because Malfoy and I spent seven years hating each other while at school. His family despises everything I am, everything I stand for, could that possibly be a reason?"

Astoria narrowed her eyes, her hand flashing out, pointing her wand at Hermione. She shouted a stinging hex, purple light flew from her wand.

Too late, Hermione tried to grab her own wand. A hand snaked out and grasped her arm, hauling her back. She was surprised to hear Lucius hiss in pain as the hex landed on his arm rather than her chest where it was aimed. He released her arm and pulled out his own wand, pointing it at Astoria.

"I understand you are upset, I will let that one go, but if you _ever_ raise your wand in my home again, I will not hesitate to curse you, and I assure you, I don't use juvenile hexes like that.

"Now, I believe you have worn out your welcome. Maurice, Helena, I shall see you later."

Hermione watched in shock as Lucius turned his back on his guests, secretly massaging his stung arm. The Greengrasses rose from their seats, shooting angry glances at their daughter before pulling her from the room.

"Lucius," Narcissa spoke softly, unsure of his reaction. She carefully reached out for his arm. He jerked away from her.

"I find I have lost my appetite. I will see you at dinner." With that he swept out of the sitting room, never looking at Hermione.

Basey appeared with trays of food floating before him. "Basey is brining Masters and Mistresses their lunch," he told them.

"Set it on the table, then you may go."

Basey bowed low to the remaining diners then popped out.

"Well, don't just sit there, eat."

Hermione and Draco glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. Deciding silence was easier to deal with, they tucked into their lunch, each with their own thoughts.

A/N: Thanks again for reading and I hope you will all review. They make my toe feel so much better! Yes, I'll take pity reviews! Lol. So, tell me what you think! 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just wanted to apologize for the long wait**

**A/N: Just wanted to apologize for the long wait. I have had a lot of personal things going on in RL and it has taken me a long time to get my muse back. I don't know how quickly updates will be seeing as I am currently ten weeks pregnant and have a two year old and a one year old, but I promised this wasn't abandoned and I stand by that! Thanks Kady for betaing!!**

**Chapter Four: Would It Be So Bad?**

When Hermione and Draco finished lunch, they retired once more to the library. Hermione immediately threw herself into researching their Bond once more while Draco merely stared into the roaring fire, a disconcerted look upon his face.

His father's actions at lunch had surprised him greatly. Lucius had made quite a statement today, one that Draco was sure Granger didn't understand, if she even realized any statement had been made at all. His father had laid claim to the annoying Muggleborn in front of the Greengrasses. By taking that Hex, he had declared as loudly as if he had shouted it from the top of the Manor that he considered Hermione a Malfoy now. Draco needed to talk to Granger, she had to be made to understand. They couldn't destroy the Bond, not now, not without bringing shame to his father and the Malfoy name.

To break the Bond now, after Lucius had made such a public claim, would be like a slap in the face. As much as Draco did not want to be forever bound to the Gryffindor know-it-all, it was the only way to save face now.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Hermione as she slumped over a large, well-worn tome.

"Granger, we need to talk."

"What?" she huffed, slamming the old book closed and glaring at the blond in front of her.

"We can't dissolve the bond."

"That's what your father keeps saying but I refuse to give up so easily."

"No, you don't understand. I'm not saying it's not possible, I am saying we _cannot_ break it. It would bring great shame to my father if we were to dissolve it after he stood up for you."

Hermione stared at Malfoy as if he had lost his mind.

"What!? Are you out of your mind? I mean, sure, what your dad did was nice and all, and I _do_ appreciate it, but any decent person would have done the same thing. It's no reason to ruin both of our lives for!"

"You don't understand. It was more than just a _nice gesture_. He was making a public statement. By taking that Hex, he was letting everyone in that room know that he considered you a Malfoy and he would do anything in his power to protect you. If you were to break the bond and walk away now, it would be like spitting in his face. Granger, we can't do that."

"You're serious. You really want to stay… _bonded_ with me to save face for your father?"

"Yes, I do. For all my faults, surely you don't have a problem with family loyalty? Come on, Granger, how bad can it be?"

"How bad? How bad! Malfoy, we do _not_ like each other, let alone _love_ each other. What kind of relationship is that?"

"Many relationships are formed without your precious _love_. You can still have friendship, a working partnership, respect without love."

"You're crazy. That's all there is to it. Forgive me, but I really don't care if your father is a little embarrassed over this. He'll get over it. I can't stay with you. It would never work."

"That's where you're wrong. If you are willing to get off your high horse for a moment and work for it, then it could work."

"Malfoy, let it go. I am going back to the books. I want to understand this whole full-moon thing before this evening. Are you going to help me or not?"

"I will help if you will agree to at least _think_ about what I said."

"Fine. Now, let's work our way down, starting with the earliest books on the effects of the moon on spells and enchantments. Then we can cross reference anything we find with references to other binding spells."

Draco just sighed as he picked up an old tome on the moon and its phases that was written in ancient Greek.

"Whatever you say, _Madam Malfoy_."

----

Lucius sat at his desk in his study, gently massaging his forearm. It no longer stung, he had performed a Healing Charm immediately, but the memory of his thoughtless actions stung as much as his arm had. He should have just let the damned Hex land where it would. He shouldn't have meddled in his son's affairs.

But no, he couldn't leave well enough alone. Now his slowly increasing reputation would nose-dive. If there were a way to break that bond, Hermione Granger would be the one to find it and when she did, he would be the laughing stock of the Pureblood world. He had gone out on a limb for that Muggleborn chit and now she was going to chop the limb off behind him, and probably laugh as she watched him fall.

Well, there was nothing to it. He had but one choice. It was time for Lucius Malfoy to swallow his pride, and beg. Well, maybe not as far as that. After all, Malfoys never beg. But he could appeal to Granger's better side, that annoying side that drove her to stand up for Giants and House-elves. He would ask her to stay with his son, to help them rebuild the Malfoy line, to bring it out of the Darkness it had fallen into. Surely she would not turn her back on a family that needed her?

On the other hand, she just might, and really, who could blame her?

------

Narcissa watched her husband stew from the doorway of his study. She could tell by the frown that marred his beautiful face that he was unhappy or greatly distressed about something. She had a pretty good idea what that something was.

She had been very surprised when Lucius had come to her in the wee hours of the morning to tell her what Draco and his young Muggleborn acquaintance had gotten up to. Narcissa had feared for her son's safety for a few minutes as Lucius stormed around their chambers, destroying furniture and wall hangings in his anger. She had eventually been able to calm her husband down long enough to help him see the advantages of having Hermione Granger become Hermione Malfoy, but even she had been shocked to see him take that Hex meant for the girl. It was such a minor Hex, why couldn't he have let it hit her? It would hardly have done her any lasting harm. But no, Lucius had to over dramatize the whole incident and put the entire family at the mercy of a young, idealistic Muggleborn witch.

If the Granger girl did find a way to break the bond, then she would walk away, and everyone would see just how little Harry Potter's best friend thought of the Malfoy family. She would throw their protection in their faces. Narcissa couldn't allow that. She and her husband had worked too hard to climb back up from the deep valley they had fallen into during the War to have it all lost because a little Muggleborn girl couldn't stomach her son.

She would have to have a word with the Granger girl, woman to woman. Surely she could make her see the advantages of being a Malfoy wife. It would just take some fancy words, which was one thing Narcissa Malfoy was _very_ good at.

**A/N: Well, I know it was short, but I need to get back in the swing of things, that and I needed the full moon to be a chapter on its own, so think of this as an interlude if you want.  Thank you for those who have stuck with this and will read this chapter even though it's been so long.**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for sticking with me through this

A/N: Thank you so much for sticking with me through this. Here is the next chapter. Thanks again to Kady, my loverly beta!!

Chapter Five: To Dance by the Light of the Moon

Hermione was on the last of the Moon books when a light tapping on the library door drew her attention. She glanced up to find Narcissa Malfoy standing in the doorway.

"Miss Granger, may I have a word?"

"Umm… sure," Hermione replied, trying to be polite, after all, she _was_ a guest in the Manor.

Narcissa led her down the hall into a large open ballroom area. Hermione froze at the entrance, dread filling her stomach and causing it to ache. She had purposely avoided this room the entire time she had been working at the Manor. This room held too many horrid memories, memories she had worked years to banish. Narcissa turned, confused before realizing exactly why Miss Granger was not following her.

"Oh, my dear! I am so sorry! Forgive my thoughtlessness!" Mrs. Malfoy quickly returned to the doorway and laid a hand on Hermione's back to guide her down the hall to a smaller sitting room.

"It's… it's quite all right."

"No, it's not. It was thoughtless of me to attempt to drag you into a room that held such horrid memories for you. Allow me to take this time to apologize for my family's behavior in the past. I know words mean very little without actions behind them, so I hope you will give us a chance to make up for all the malice we brought to you."

"That's very kind of you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione replied, wondering how sincere her words truly were.

"Now, there was something I wanted to talk to you about…" Narcissa started, but was cut off by Draco bursting through the sitting room door.

"Hermione! I… I need…" he gasped out, grabbing the doorframe to keep from falling as the room began to spin.

"Draco!" Narcissa called out, running to help him to a chair in the corner.

Hermione was in shock. She had never seen Draco Malfoy so disheveled looking. He had a confused look on his face and she could tell he was sweating, profusely. His eyes were darting around the room until they fell on her.

"Granger, I… I need to talk to you, please," he rasped out, his breaths coming in pants now.

"I'll just leave you two to talk, we can finish our discussion later," Narcissa spoke quietly before leaving them alone and closing the door behind her.

Hermione walked over to Malfoy and knelt before him.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know. At first it was just a jittery feeling, but it's been gradually getting worse. I feel… I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin! It's too hot in here," he complained, unbuttoning the first couple of buttons on his shirt.

"Malfoy, your face is flushed, are you running a fever?"

"I… I don't feel achy, do I feel warm?"

Hermione placed a delicate hand on his forehead and felt a jolt shoot down her arm to settle in her stomach. She gasped out loud at the tingle that went through her body.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… I don't know, but I think I know what you meant by jittery." Hermione glanced out the sitting room window to see that the sun had just set.

"The moon," he whispered.

"The sun just set, the moon will be rising before long."

"I guess this has something to do with the spell then."

"Malfoy, about those 'feelings' and 'desires'. We really don't like each other. What… what if the spell reads those thoughts and amplifies the bad feelings. We could end up really hurting each other!"

"That's not the point of the spell. Why would a spell that is intended for spouses cause them to attack each other? I really don't think it's going to do something like that."

Hermione had to agree that what he said made sense, but on the other hand, they really didn't know anything about this spell or what it might or might not make them do. She tugged on the collar of her robes, noticing for the first time just how hot this room was!

"Malfoy…" she started, but he interrupted.

"Draco."

"What?"

"Call me Draco, just once, please?" he asked, his eyes pleading with her.

"Draco," she whispered, moving closer to push his platinum blond hair out of his eyes. He caught her wrist in his hand and brought it to his mouth to place a kiss on the inside.

She jerked away from him.

"What are you doing?"

"I… I don't know. I'm sorry."

Hermione stared at Malfoy, the tingle in her stomach turning into a dull ache. Her breathing quickened as she stared into his gray eyes. The reasons she had for hating the youngest Malfoy were quickly fading from her barely working brain. All she could think of were Draco's lips and how they would feel pressed against hers. She slowly leaned forward until her lips gently brushed his. The ache in her stomach exploded and she moaned into his open mouth as she thrust her tongue in to battle with his own.

Draco gripped her shoulders to steady her and keep her from falling flat on her bum as he deepened the kiss.

"Hermione, if you don't leave this room now, then there will be no stopping," he warned her after ripping his lips away.

Her only answer was to stand up and straddle the gaping blond before pressing her lips against his once more.

Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. His hands splayed against her back and pulled her so that their chests were pressed against each other. His mouth left her lips to trail hot kisses across her jaw and down her neck until he found a sensitive spot just below her ear.

Hermione growled low in her throat. There was an unfamiliar throbbing between her legs, begging to be acknowledged. With little thought, she started unbuttoning her robes.

Draco, realizing what she was trying to do, brought his hands back to her front and began helping her with the miniscule buttons.

"Damn these things. You crazy Purebloods and your primpy outfits."

"Screw this," he muttered, ripping the rest of the buttons off. "Much better."

Hermione reached around and undid her bra, exposing her pebbled nipples to Draco's ferocious gaze. He lunged forward and latched onto one red bud, suckling on it roughly. She moaned and pressed herself against the growing bulge she could feel beneath her right thigh.

Draco grunted and thrust gently against Hermione. He pulled out his wand and muttered a quick spell to divest them both of their clothes. She let out a gasp as the cool air hit her heated body.

Hermione slowly lowered her gaze to his swollen appendage. That was one sight she had missed last night. He was built down there the same as the rest of his body. Long and lean, but powerful looking. The small part of her brain that was still working managed to notice that wizards apparently believed in circumcision as well as Muggles. His head was swollen and glistening with pearly drops of liquid.

"Enjoying the view?"

Hermione snapped her eyes up to his, a witty retort on the tip of her tongue, but swallowed it at the fire she found burning in his eyes.

"Yes, I am," she whispered, gently taking his length in her hand, amazed by the smoothness of it.

Draco attacked her lips again and wrapped his hands around her waist to lift her up and over his erect shaft.

"Guide it in," he murmured against her lips.

"How?"

"Just hold it steady and lower yourself down."

Hermione did as she was told and slowly lowered herself onto him. They both sighed as she settled down onto him all the way, a feeling of fulfillment surrounding them both.

Draco helped her find a rhythm and soon she could feel the heat growing in the pit of her stomach. This was far better than anything she had ever experienced with her own hand in the privacy of her bedroom. Every thrust, every brush was amplified and it all felt… right. This was where she belonged; this was where she needed to be.

"Hermione, love… I'm not sure I can last."

She pulled her lips away from his when he started to speak and looked down into his face. Never had she seen Draco so open and full of emotion. His hand wandered in between their frantically moving bodies and brushed against her tender nub, sending her spiraling into the sweat abyss, his name on her lips.

"Draco!" she screamed out as her world exploded.

"Ah!" he shouted, kissing her frantically and holding onto as he pumped his essence into her clenching depths.

The two heaving lovers clung to one another while their world righted itself. Draco gently brushed her errant curls away from her face and trailed kisses across her check and nose.

Hermione gently stroked the hair that was curling at the nape of his neck. He felt a tingle run down his spine to settle in his lower region. Surprised, he glanced down to find himself hardening once again.

"Is that normal?" Hermione asked in a nervous voice.

"Uh, no, but then nothing about tonight is normal," he admitted in a husky voice, his hand trailing down to brush the curls resting between her legs.

"We can't stay here, your parents could come to check on us," she moaned against his throat, the heat in her stomach igniting again.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and Apparated them to his bedchambers.

**A/N: well, another chapter, but don't get spoiled by the quick updates, I don't know how long this can last, but like I said before, I WILL not abandon this story, and I plan on at least updating once a week, if not more as long as I feel okay. Thanks!**


	6. Daphne, Daphne Full of Grace

A/N: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. They are feeding my muse!! I can't believe I am already writing ch. 6. I am going to introduce two new characters in this chapter and I want to warn you that you may find them OOC. Marcus Flint and Daphne Greengrass are never really talked about all that much, so I have taken artistic license with them and written them how I want to, so enjoy!! Also, I want to give another warning. I touch on a touchy subject in this chapter. I want to go on the record and say that I am 100% pro-life. I do not believe in abortion, nor condone it, in ANY case. This may upset some of you and I am sorry. I hope you will not stop reading because we don't see eye to eye but after nearly losing two children, I see them as such a wonderful blessing, and I have loved all three of mine from the moment I found out I was pregnant, even though NONE of them were planned or came at good times. So that was my rant and Hermione and Daphne will touch on abortion and such in this chapter, so if it will bother you to hear them argue about pro-choice/pro-life, please don't read and PLEASE NO FLAMING!! If you don't believe like I do, that is your right, but don't punish me for my beliefs and I won't punish you for yours. Thanks!

Chapter Six: Daphne, Daphne, Full of Grace

Hermione awoke the next morning to a burning pain between her legs and a throbbing pain in her lower abdomen. She remembered only bits and pieces from the night before and had lost count of their couplings around ten or so. She had no idea the human male body was even capable of such feats, but apparently when driven by the enchantment binding them, it was.

She blushed as she remembered her actions from the night before. Never in her life had she acted so wantonly! Each time they came together, it was more intense than the last. It had been a mating frenzy! There was no other way to describe it! They had twisted their bodies into positions she didn't even know were physically possible. It had turned wild and untamed in the end and she was embarrassed to admit that the last time they had come together they had all but rutted, like two dogs in heat.

She felt warmth pool between her sore legs as she remembered that last time. Draco had flipped her onto her knees and thrust into her from behind, grunting with each slap of his balls against her over-stimulated clit. She had screamed with each rough thrust, begging for release and he had given it to her. In a rainbow of ecstasy, their worlds had exploded, sending them both into unconsciousness.

Hermione slipped her hand down between her legs and gingerly brushed her sore and swollen lips. She was surprised to find them dripping wet. Gently, she stroked her swollen nub, enjoying the small tremors that it caused. She glanced over to the sleeping blond beside her and noticed the blankets tenting over his lower body.

The sight of his erection caused the tremors to increase. She carefully turned on her side and placed one hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Draco… Draco, are you awake?"

Malfoy just groaned and rolled onto his side to face her. She slowly reached a hand out to caress his protruding flesh, keeping the blanket between them. Draco sighed in his sleep and moved his hips closer to her questing hand.

Feeling brave, she moved her arm underneath the blanket and grasped his manhood in her bare hand. He moaned at the contact and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hermione?"

She just pressed her lips to his, knowing she would never have the nerve to pull this off if they started talking first. He responded eagerly to her kiss and moved his hands to gently pull her closer, one hand going to her knee to pull her leg up and over his hip, allowing him access to her glistening center.

Malfoy gently entered her, nothing rushed about this time. When he filled her to the hilt, he paused. Draco languidly kissed her lips, savoring every moment, forgetting completely that the spell had nothing to do with this. Carefully, he began to move within her, being as gentle as possible, knowing she was as sore as he was.

It was perfect, Hermione thought. Just what she always thought making love should be, slow, gentle, but full of passion. Several minutes later, both lay spent and sleepy. Draco immediately fell back asleep but Hermione couldn't.

She quietly made her way into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

"Kipsy!" she called out.

"Yes, Miss?" the petite elf popped into the bathroom.

"Could you possible find me a healing potion?"

"Of course, Miss! Kipsy will be right back!"

After taking the potion Kipsy brought, Hermione ran a bath and lowered her battered body into the steaming water. How could she have done that? What possessed her to fuck Draco Malfoy? Last night she could accept, last night had been controlled by the spell, but this morning? She had simply wanted him. She had desired him, needed him inside of her. Sweet Merlin, she'd lost her mind! She groaned as she leaned her head back against the tub and wondered just how long she could hide out in here before having to face him; apparently not as long as she would have liked.

Just as the water was cooling down, a timid knock broke into her reverie.

"Granger? We've got some company. Can you hurry up and get dressed?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered; although that was the last thing she wanted to do. Who in the world would want to see her?

Hermione felt much better after her bath and once she was dressed in beautiful blue silk robes, left for her by Kipsy, she made her way down the stairs, following the small house-elf to the parlor where she found Draco waiting for her with two people she recognized from Hogwarts, though she didn't know them all that well.

The man sitting beside Draco had been the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team the first few years they were at school. Marcus Flint was his name. She had never cared for the slimy cheater.

The woman sitting next to Flint, Hermione was surprised to notice, was none other than Draco's ex-sister-in-law and fellow Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass. What in the world was she doing here? Had she come to hex her as well? Well, that would definitely make her day.

Hermione took a deep breath and swallowed her apprehension.

"Good morning, Malfoy," she greeted, nodding at the other two seated at the table.

Draco glanced up at her; the faintest blush graced his cheeks.

"Granger. I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. Marcus and Daphne Flint. You went to Hogwarts with them, I'm not sure if you remember or not."

"I do, actually. How are you doing?"

Daphne had stood to embrace the Muggleborn and Hermione was surprised to feel a gentle swell in the vicinity of the other girl's stomach. She quickly glanced down, and sure enough, Daphne's protruding stomach gave away her delicate condition.

"We are doing much better than you are, or so I hear. I am _dreadfully_ sorry about my sister's actions yesterday! She has embarrassed us all!"

Hermione couldn't take her eyes away from the other girl's swollen middle, horror evident in her eyes as she remembered exactly what she and Draco had forgotten in the midst of their spell-induced hump-fest. Quickly she glanced up, desperate to find Malfoy's eyes and ask the nerve-wracking question.

She finally caught Draco's eyes, and he gave an imperceptible shake of his head, obviously not wanting to discuss this right now, but she did notice his jaw clench as his eyes strayed down to Daphne's noticeably pregnant mid-section.

"Hermione… Hermione, are you alright?" Daphne asked, worry in her voice.

"Oh, Daph, give the girl a break, she's probably still shell shocked that you haven't turned your wand on her as well," the gravely, but surprisingly kind, voice of Marcus remarked.

"As if I would! Honestly, Granger here is probably ten times a better catch than Astoria," Daphne sniffed indignantly.

Hermione was shocked to hear the older girl berate her little sister so easily.

"Daphne and Astoria have never gotten on all that well. In truth, they are only half-sisters," Malfoy informed her.

"Oh," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

It was uncomfortably silent for several minutes before Hermione finally spoke.

"How long have you two been married?"

"Oh! Just over two years. It's actually quite a story!" Daphne began as a house-elf brought them a delicious looking brunch. "You see I was actually engaged to marry Draco to begin with."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up at that.

"What happened to change that?" she asked, curious despite herself.

"She did the one thing a Pureblood is never to do," Draco remarked, "she fell in love."

Hermione glanced between Marcus and Daphne with surprise.

"Yes, I fell in love. I went to speak to Draco and he was very understanding. He told me he had no problem with calling off the engagement. However, my parents weren't as understanding. There was a lot of money involved, plus the Malfoy name and my father and stepmother weren't ready to give up all of that for the sake of 'a little girl's hormones'. So Lucius Malfoy came up with a compromise. Draco could marry Astoria instead, which consequently pleased my stepmother even more, seeing how Astoria is her daughter. That left me free to marry Marcus," Daphne finished with a content smile to her husband.

"How… _kind_ of you," Hermione drawled to Draco.

"What, Granger, you didn't think I had it in me?" he smirked.

Hermione ground her teeth at the retort she held on the tip of her tongue.

Daphne, sensing the tension, abruptly stood up.

"It's rather warm in here, and I'm feeling a bit nauseated. Hermione, would you care to take a short walk with me? Get some air?"

"Umm… sure, why not," she responded a bit resignedly.

Daphne and Hermione stood and made their way out to the lush gardens behind the Manor. They were both wrapped in heavy winter cloaks.

"I just love being outside in the winter. Everything is so quiet and peaceful," Daphne commented, looping her arm in Hermione's.

"Hmmm…" she said, noncommittally

"You know, Draco really isn't that bad of a person. There are worse people you could be married to."

Hermione glanced askance at the Pureblood.

"Says the person who chose _not_ to marry him."

"Only because I had fallen in love with someone else! Honestly, if it wasn't for Marcus, I would have been happy to marry Draco. In our world, it is very rare to marry for love. At least with Draco, you have the chance for friendship, and respect. You won't have to worry about that love failing, when you are old and no longer beautiful…" Daphne trailed off, staring into space.

"Daphne, I can tell just by watching that Marcus is absolutely in love with you, he wouldn't leave."

"Oh, I didn't mean him. I was thinking of my parents. My father left my mother for Astoria's mother, just because she was young, just out of school. It was sickening. Luckily I was too young at the time to know what was going on."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago. So, back to you: I think you and Draco could be good together. I think you should give him a chance. After all, he's lost more in all this than you have," Daphne pointed out.

Hermione was shocked at that statement, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She pushed the thought aside, not ready to deal with it and turned her mind to her earlier problem.

The more she thought about it, the more she knew she hardly wanted to turn to Narcissa with this problem. For one, the woman would probably want her to end up pregnant and wouldn't help her even if she could. So instead, she turned to the girl walking beside her.

"Daphne, can I ask you something? Something personal?"

"Sure, anything."

"Umm… I know all about Contraceptive Charms and potions, but I was wondering, what do witches do if they forget to use those? I mean, in the Muggle world, there is a pill, or a series of pills, that you can take the morning after to insure that you don't get pregnant. I was wondering what the Wizarding world had."

Daphne had stopped walking and was giving Hermione a hard look.

"We don't have anything like that, at least not something that is readily available. Witches, if they are of the decent sort and don't want to get pregnant don't forget. If they forget, then they live with the consequences. That's the only responsible and proper thing to do."

"You can't honestly tell me that no witch has ever messed up and wanted to make sure she didn't get pregnant. Oh, let me guess, witches _never_ abort a pregnancy either?" Hermione asked, not the least bit surprised at the backwards ideas of the Wizarding world.

"Of course not!" Daphne huffed.

Hermione raised an unbelieving eyebrow.

"Okay, I do know of a potion, but I doubt even you would want to take it. One of the key ingredients is unicorn blood and it can only be found in the dingiest shop at the end of Knockturn Alley."

Hermione shivered at the thought of drinking a potion that included unicorn blood.

"As for the abortion, I know it happens, again in the seediest part of the Alley, and not by any legitimate Healer. Children are too precious in our world to simply kill them off because having them would be an _inconvenience_ to the mother. Marcus and I have been trying for years. This is the fourth time I have been pregnant, and now, at twenty-six weeks, it's the furthest I've managed to carry one. Most witches and wizard's feel the same way. Miscarriages and Squib births are so high, that any pregnancy, or chance of normal birth is a great thing, not something to be destroyed and swept under the rug!" Daphne finished vehemently, with tears glistening behind her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt so strongly about that," Hermione whispered, wondering what in the world she would do now.

"It's okay. I forget that you are Muggleborn, and tend to have different ideas about certain things. I know the Muggle world is very forward moving, and offers different solutions to things such as this, but here, in the Wizarding world, you'll find no such solutions."

"Thank you for the information," Hermione mumbled, a little uneasy with the topic.

"Is having a baby such a horrible thought? You aren't pureblood, you and Draco would most likely have a wonderfully, healthy child. We should all be so lucky," she finished with a whisper.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

"I have always wanted a child, maybe two, but with someone I love. I don't plan on staying married to Draco, not if I can help it, and a baby would be the last thing we would need!"

"Well, then the choice is up to you, isn't it? But really, shouldn't you talk to Draco about this as well?"

Hermione grimaced at the thought of talking to Malfoy about whether or not to keep a baby that only _might_ exist. Really, it wasn't as if she was pregnant, yet. All she wanted was a way to keep it that way!

**A/N: Well, are you spoiled yet? Lol. I am just on a roll right now, but I can' t promise that it will last forever. Thanks Kady for betaing. Thanks all for reading!!**


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note

HI all, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not abandoning my stories. I have just gone through the pregnancy from hell. I went on bedrest at around four months, was in preterm labor by five months and was able to hold off the inevitable until 34 weeks, in which my darling daughter graced us with her presence. She then spent time in the NICU before finally coming home. Now she is nearly four months old and I am finally finding time to write again. I am hoping to get some more chapters up within the next week or so, so keep your eyes open! Thank you for your patience and may I suggest refreshing your memory on the stories if you continue to read them? Even I had to do that and I'm the author! lol. Hope to hear from you soon!

~Connie


	8. The Malfoy Heir or To be or Not To Be

**Chapter Seven**

**The Malfoy Heir**

**or**

**To Be or Not to Be**

After the Flints had left, Hermione and Draco retired to the library once more. Hermione began to search through their stack of books once more while Draco took a seat in a large leather armchair by the fire.

"Granger, I think there was something you wanted to talk about?"

Hermione glanced over at the rigid blond wizard before taking a deep breath and making her way over the the armchair opposite his.

"Malfoy, we forgot something last night," she said, stating the obvious.

"And what was that? Our brains?"

"Well, that too," she muttered, turning angry eyes on him. "You know what I'm talking about. The question is, what do we do about it? Daphne said there was a potion..."

"What? The idea of carrying the Malfoy heir is so hideous to you that you would prefer a cursed half-life to it? You do know what is in that potion she is talking about, right?"

"She told me one potion that has unicorn's blood, but surely there is another one."

"I only know of one, but that doesn't really matter because you aren't going to take it anyway."

"What right do you have to tell me what potions I can and cannot take!?"

"I am your husband. And, if you were to fall pregnant, then the father of your child."

"You may be my husband legally, but that won't last long!" she growled at him, her anger causing her face to flush. She knew she wouldn't take any potion that contained unicorn blood, but the fact that Draco Malfoy was trying to make the choice for her was appalling to her. She would just have to take care of this the Muggle way.

"Granger, just stop. We will get nowhere arguing like this," he told her with a resigned sigh.

Hermione bit off the retort that was sitting on the tip of her tongue.

"You're right. There are Muggle ways to make sure that we don't have to add a baby into this whole mess and we'll just have to be more careful next time."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Next time?"

Hermione blushed.

"If we don't figure a way out of this before next month, which I'm sure we will."

Draco just smirked, then frowned.

"There's really nothing I can do to stop you, is there?"

Hermione turned back to him, a gloating smile on her face, but she paused when she saw the hurt look on his face.

"I really thought that the chance of having a healthy child with you would have been ten times higher than with Astoria, but I seem to be wrong. While she may not have been able to carry a child, you will chose not to," he scoffed bitterly before making his way to the library door.

"Malfoy, wait. This is riddiculous! We are arguing about a baby that doesn't even exist!"

"And it won't exist, thanks to you," he snapped at her.

"Argh!! If I were pregnant, I would be thinking about this differently! But I'm not! I just want to make sure that I stay that way!"

"You don't know if you aren't! What if you did get pregnant last night?"

Hermione paused, unsure what to say. She hadn't really thought about how long it took for an egg to get fertilized, she had just assumed that she could still keep that from happening, but what if she was wrong. What if... what if that had already happened? Did that make it a baby she would be destroying? Or was it still just a jumble of cells? At what point could she call it a baby? At what point was she taking a life rather than merely preventing one?

Malfoy was nearly out of the library before she called to him.

"Wait," she whispered, unsure if he would hear her or not. Luckily he did and paused.

"What?" he ground out.

"I'll wait. I... I won't take anything. The chances are nothing happened any way, this way... this way you... and I... won't have to spend out entire lives wondering, 'what if'."

Draco regarded her with surprise in his eyes before returning to the fireplace.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Don't thank me yet, we aren't out in the clear yet," she mumbled before turning her attention once more to the books before her.

Draco watched her reading and wondered how he was lucky enough to win this round. He also wondered if he would be pushing his luck to bring up the possibility of staying married to him. After a few moments of watching her working furiously, he decided he wouln't broach that subject just yet. One win for the day was enough for him. He had time to persuade her to see things from his point of view.

A few hours into their research, Narcissa entered the library.

"Hermione, dear, how are you faring this morning?"

Hermione glanced up from her book, surprised to see the Matriarch in the library rather than her lovely sitting room.

"I'm fine, how are you Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Dear, I've told you, call me Narcissa."

"I'm sorry, it is taking some getting used to, Narcissa."

"Much better. The house-elves have just finished lunch and Lucius would like a word with his son," at this she glanced over to Draco, motioning for him to leave and meet his father, "and I thought you and I could enjoy a nice, intimate lunch in the solarium."

"Umm... sure, I guess," Hermione responded hesitantly.

"Very good! Follow me."

Hermione placed her book down after marking the page she was on and followed the elegant woman out of the library and down a very long hallway until they came to a beautiful, sunlight room with a small table in the center, set for two and a side board heaped with food.

After the two ladies had chosen their afternoon fare, they sat down in silence to eat in peace. However, Hermione should have known that a meal with Narcissa Malfoy would be anything but peaceful.

"Hermione, dear, I really hope Draco has been treating you appropriately. I have always taught him to be a gentleman, but I have often wondered if my lessons had fallen on deaf ears."

Hermione regarded the older woman and wondered if she had any idea how Malfoy had treated her in school, or if she would really care. She had a feeling the only reason Draco's mother cared now was because she suddenly found the Muggleborn her new daughter-in-law.

"He has been the perfect host," was her chosen answer, though she did add, "and he has been kind to me," when she noticed the disappointed look in Narcissa's eyes.

"My dear, may I speak candidly?"

"Of course."

"I know that our history, the bad... _blood_ between us, has been horrible, but I do hope you will believe that my husband and I wish you no harm. We have seen the error of our ways and while we will always hope our way of life is preserved and lasts through many generations to come, we understand that Muggle-borns and others of... not Pure ancestry are instrumental in securing our future. You are a bright witch, and Draco could much worse than to be married to you. The children you could bare him! They would be both powerful and bright. Please, reconsider dissolving this union.

"There was a time when Lucius and I would have balked at the thought of the Malfoy blood being diluted in any way, but now... now I believe you would be a burst of fresh air in the dwindling Malfoy line. You could be the one to save this family from the disastrous course it has been going on. I love my son, and I know he has many faults... but perhaps you could see past those, perhaps even correct a few of them. Just think about it, please?" she begged of the younger woman.

Hermione was shocked at the desperation evident in Narcissa's voice. She had not stopped once since discovering the unwanted union to wonder, "what would it be like to _stay _married to Draco Malfoy?" Could she really do something like that? What would her friends think? What would her family think? What was _she_ thinking!? Of course she couldn't stay married to him. She cursed her mind for even straying to thoughts like that. She gave Narcissa a small smile.

"I really think that Draco and I would both be happier if we could dissolve this union as quickly as possible. We would probably end up killing each other otherwise," she joked, turning back to her lunch.

Narcissa gave a sad sigh before returning to her own lunch.

_Oh, well, _she thought, _perhaps Lucius will have better luck._

**A/N: Thank you for reading and thank you to anyone who has stuck with this story for the LONG time in between. I am hoping to get back to some semblance of regular posting. Sorry this is short, but I really just need to get back in to the swing of things and I don't have a lot of time. The baby actually just started crying because she is hungry, so I have to run, but REVIEW PLEASE!! Thanks Kady for betaing!!**


	9. Lucius Malfoy: Saviour of Mudbloods?

**Chapter Eight**

**Lucius Malfoy... Champion of _Mudbloods_???**

Narcissa and Hermione made their way back towards the library after their lunch only to stop short when angry voices drifted to them from Lucius's drawing room. Narcissa tried to grab the younger woman's arm and pull her away, but Hermione jerked out of her reach and headed to the door of the drawing room, sure that they were arguing about her. The older woman followed with an aggravated sigh.

_"...pregnant, Draco! Do you understand!? Do you know how this looks!"_

_"Obviously I had no idea, Father. And, yes, I do know how this looks, but what exactly do you expect me to do about it?"_

_"Pay her off."_

_"It's hardly my money she wants! It's my name."_

_"Well, she won't get it."_

_"She could if Hermione has her way."_

_"Draco Abraxas Malfoy, Hermione Granger could very well be the best thing to come into your life. _Do not _screw this up."_

_"Father, she hates me! And to be honest, I don't exactly like her either. Although she is much better now than when we were in school."_

_"You don't have to love each other, Draco, just find a way to make it work."_

_"That, father, is asking alot."_

"Eavesdropping doesn't become you, Hermione," Narcissa scolded, finally pulling the other witch away from the door.

"What are they talking about?" Hermione demanded.

The blond witch sighed sadly.

"Astoria's mother owled this morning to let us know that her daughter was expecting... and she demanded that Draco find a way to... _fix_ this situation with you. Something about her grandchild being a bastard. I reminded her that Astoria and Draco were married when she conceived, so that would hardly make the baby illegitimate."

Just then Draco came storming out of his father's drawing room, his face red and his eyes suspiciously bright. Hermione only paused a moment before following the upset man.

"Malfoy, wait!" she called.

"What!" he snapped at her.

His tone of voice caused her to stop short. He took a deep breath, then another.

"I'm sorry, what did you need?" he asked, calmer this time.

"I heard you and your father arguing. Are you okay?"

Draco's jaw clenched in anger.

"I'm fine. I forgot that eavesdropping was one of your many qualities."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"You should be happy. You have your precious heir, and now a good incentive to help me dissolve this farce of a marriage."

"You think I should be happy? You are out of your mind, Granger."

"No, Malfoy, that would be you! Why in the world would you rather be married to me than her?"

"You want to know why?" he seethed, stalking towards her. "This is why."

Malfoy grabbed her arms and jerked her to him, smashing his mouth against hers. She felt heat pooling in her stomach and a now familiar ache begin before ripping away from the taller man.

"You felt that, don't lie to me. You want to know how Astoria got in the position she's in now? Tons of potions. Even then it was hard for me to... _rise to the occasion_. And do you remember how many potions I took that first night? No? Well let me remind you," with that he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "zero."

Hermione took a step away once more.

"Granger, do you want to know why I wasn't all that upset in the end to be stuck in a marriage with you? Because Astoria Greengrass bores the hell out of me! Even if you and I don't always get along, at least life with you is never boring!"

"I don't get it Malfoy, why would you marry someone you can't stand?"

"It wasn't my idea, nor my intention. She was my consolation prize for giving up someone I _did_ care about. Daphne, I would have been happy with. We weren't madly in love, but she was a good friend and I cared about her, that is why I let her go. I had no idea at the time that her insipid sister would be her replacement."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. Astoria is blackmailing me, more or less. There is a ball this evening, at the Parkinson residence, and she has demanded that I attend with her and that we announce our 'little bundle of joy' or she is going to go straight to the Prophet with this whole sordid tale. She wants us to just pretend that nothing has changed. The only book in the ministry that would show our dissolution is hardly ever opened, since Wizarding marriages are usually for life, so it would be a long time before anyone would stumble across the information. My father and I were hoping to keep it quiet until we knew how we wanted to handle the whole situation... and we were wanting to be on the same page... all of us, you included, when we did finally make an announcement. That won't happen if she blabs to Rita Skeeter!"

Hermione's face had paled during Malfoy's rant. She had wanted to be the one to tell her friends about this whole predicament, but that wouldn't happen if Astoria told the whole world!

"Will she accept a compromise? Tell her you will go to the ball with her tonight, but that you want to wait to tell anyone about the baby. Use the excuse that most Purebloods miscarry many times and that you don't want to announce it, then have to go back and tell everyone that you lost the baby," she suggested.

"I can try, but I would rather not go with her at all."

"It's just one night, surely you can stomach it."

Draco sighed.

"I suppose if I must, I must."

"Malfoy, I..."

Just then Lucius Malfoy came around the corner.

"Draco, isn't there a floo call you should be making?"

"Yes, father, I was just on my way. Granger, I'll talk you later. Meet me in the library in an hour?"

"Of course," she answered as the younger Malfoy turned and all but ran up the stairs.

"Miss Granger, may I have a word with you?" Lucius asked politely.

Hermione nodded and followed the head of the Malfoy family back into his drawing room. He went over to a shelf set back into the wall and retrieved a bottle of firewhiskey.

"You don't mind, do you? I find I need something after the morning I've had."

"I don't mind," she replied cautiously, wondering what the older man had to say to her.

"Would you care for something?"

"No thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione noticed he didn't offer her the use of his first name, which was probably better as she didn't know if she could bring herself you use it anyway.

"Miss Granger, let me be frank. This situation we find ourselves in is highly unusual. There is no precedent and any way that you look at, it doesn't bode well."

She couldn't help but agree with him on that aspect.

"I have to tell you that I have found one possible solution to dissolving this union, but I am not sure it is exactly what you are looking for."

"I would like any information you have Mr. Malfoy," she told him eagerly, hoping that maybe an answer was within her grasp.

"This book," he said, indicating an old tome sitting on his desk, "says that the enchantments that act upon you during the full moon will disappear and the binding holding you together will weaken, possibly even enough to break it, after the birth of a child."

Hermione's heart plummeted, that was not what she was hoping to hear. Lucius held the book out to her.

"Feel free to peruse it on your own if you don't believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I was hoping for something else."

"Perhaps you will find another answer."

With that he turned his back on her and made his way over to the large window overlooking the elegant Malfoy gardens. Hermione turned to leave but hesitated.

"Mr. Malfoy, what are you going to do about Astoria?" she couldn't help but ask.

Lucius turned to look at her.

"I was just thinking about that and I have an idea, but unfortunately it would need your full support and I highly doubt we would have that."

Hermione tried not to look affronted.

"I'm in this as much as Draco, if I can help I will," she told him.

His mouth turned up in a dangerous smile.

"Would you now, Miss Granger?"

She swallowed hard.

"What is your idea?"

"To go to the Prophet first. With our own version of the events. People always believe the first story they read, so we give them what _we_ want them to believe. Astoria has something hanging over us, something that gives her power over us, and I do not like that. I have my doubts that she is really pregnant, and even if she is, I would wonder if the baby was really Draco's, but that is neither here nor now. I want to feed the Prophet a story of forbidden love, of a marriage forced on Draco by Astoria and her family, his fear that Narcissa and I would not approve of you two together, then his return to the Manor and your reconciliation and marriage. He was only married a matter of weeks, it wouldn't look great, but the fact that he left her early on rather than live in a lie would help cover the embarrassing part. Then we show you as a happy couple, finally together after years of heartache and deception. With Narcissa and I fully supporting your union, of course," he finished with a small sip of his liquor.

All Hermione could do was stare. She tried to imagine her friends expressions when they would read the story. It wasn't pleasant.

"That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard."

"To anyone who really knew you and Draco, perhaps, but to hundreds of gossip column readers who thrive on scandal? Who live in a fantasy world where good and love always triumph? I think it would work."

Hermione hated to admit it, but it probably would. The only problem with this story was that she would have to be willing to stand by Draco, at least until the whole shock blew over... still, it was better than her stupidity being smeared across the tabloids.

"What does your son think of this?"

"He thinks you will never agree, but he does admit that it is a good idea."

Hermione thought for a moment, then rushed ahead before she could change her mind.

"I'll do it," she blurted out.

Lucius's eyebrows went up, a shocked look on his face.

"But I want to talk to my friends first, explain to them what's really going on, or at least some of what's going on, and I want to make it clear that this doesn't mean I don't still want the union dissolved, we'll just wait a bit. Let everything die down, then we can dissolve it, blame it on young emotions, now we know better, things just aren't working out, whatever excuse we want to use, people will have forgotten about the scandal by then."

Lucius wasn't so sure of that, but if this bought his son and Miss Granger some time, then he would take what he could get.

"Perhaps Draco can convince Astoria to forgo the ball this evening in favor of Saturday's gala at the Ministry, that would buy you time to contact your friends and for us to contact the Prophet, then you and Draco can make your appearance rather than Astoria," he suggested.

"That would work. I'll go talk to him now... wait, what are you planning to do about the baby?"

"That, my dear, I have no idea."

"Well, we can worry about that later. Good afternoon, Mister Malfoy."

"Good afternoon, Hermione," Lucius nodded to his new daughter-in-law as she left the drawing room.

**A/N: I realized I have uploaded the unbeta'd version of the last chapter, not sure how that happened actually, but I'm trying to fix it now. lol. Anyway, here is another chapter! Don't you love me? This is stuff that was mostly written before I went into the hospital the first time, so the updates will probably slow again. I just really want to get through the plot building and into the meat of the story! lol. We're almost there, I just have to make it through a few more things... including a rather emotional scene for me, that I almost scrapped due to some family situations, but it is really important to the plot, so I am going to plow through.** **Thanks again for reading and please, let me know what you think!**


	10. A Slight Change of Heart

**Chapter Nine**

**A Slight Change of Heart  
**

Hermione met Draco in the library as promised. She could tell he was aggravated by the way he was pacing before the fireplace and muttering under his breath.

"Malfoy, are you sure you're okay," she asked, interrupting his fierce mutterings.

"Granger, I didn't see you there..."

"I noticed."

"What did my father have to say?"

"He told me his little plan, to deal with your lovely ex-wife."

Malfoy laughed at that.

"I bet your laughter put a dint in his pride," he muttered snidely.

"Actually, I think it's a good idea... at least it is the best we can come up with on such short notice and with the situation we are in."

"Are you being serious, Granger?"

"Yes. I only asked for time to tell my friends before he went to the _Prophet_."

Draco couldn't help but stare at the witch standing before him. He had never expected her to be willing to help him out of this mess... even though it was because of her he was in this in the first place.

As if she had read his thoughts, she began speaking.

"It's my fault that you ended up with this mess. If I hadn't been so... _stupid_ as to have read an unknown spell out loud, then you wouldn't have had to come to my rescue and this entire mess would have been avoided. The least I can do is help you fix it with most of your reputation still intact.

"I don't know if I have said it, but thank you, Draco, for saving me that night," she ended in a near whisper.

"You're welcome, but... I... thank you, for helping us out," he mumbled, unsure of anything else to say.

"What are we going to do about Astoria?"

"I have no idea, Granger."

"You father said you might be able to convince her to postpone an outing until the Ministry Gala. What do you think?"

"I don't think she will agree to stay hidden away in the Manor until then. If I go with her, that might give her enough hope to keep quiet."

Draco sat down heavily in an armchair by the cold fireplace.

"She's on her way here now. I will try what you said. I will escort her to the ball, then we can deal with the baby issue tomorrow. I think she will be pleased enough that I am going with her to keep it quiet for now."

"Well, that's a start. Your father seems to think that she may not be pregnant... and if she is, that the baby isn't yours."

"There is a spell that we can use to tell for sure, which I intend to perform as soon as she arrives, but if she is, it probably is mine. She was a virgin on our wedding night, and I really doubt she would have had time to find a lover, we were hardly apart the time I was there and I haven't been back long enough for her to get pregnant, and actually know, so, if she is... I think there is a good chance it is mine. We didn't use any form of contraceptive... as much as I disliked her, I did want children," he admitted, blushing slightly at the information he had disclosed.

Hermione sighed.

"Well, then we will figure something out..."

She was interrupted by the appearance of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Oh, Hermione! Lucius just told me of your little plan! Wonderful! This will work out perfectly! Now, quickly, before Astoria arrives, we need to get you fitted for your gown for this evening! I wish we had time to pick out something new for you, but we will have to work with what we have! Come, we can have Kipsy tailor one of the gowns I haven't worn yet to fit you!"

Hermione was confused.

"What are you talking about? Why do I need a dress? Wait, this evening? But I'm not going. Draco is taking Astoria."

"Yes, and Lucius is taking you!" the older woman gushed.

Hermione just stared at her new mother-in-law.

"What?" she asked, sure she had heard Narcissa wrong.

"I'm not feeling up to a large party and it is unseemly for a married man to attend a party like this alone, so you shall go with him."

"Are you sure it wouldn't look wrong for a married man to attend a party with an _un_married witch?"

"Nonsense, everyone knows you have been working on our library and he is old enough to be your father. Everyone will assume he wanted to be seen in public with someone of such _high_ standing... come now, it wouldn't be that hard to think that of my husband. Trust me, people will just think he is very wise to form such a well-to-do connection, then when we come out with your and Draco's relationship, they will understand that he was just escorting his daughter-in-law to insure that Astoria didn't pull anything. It is perfect! Now come along so we can find a dress for you!"

Hermione followed Narcissa numbly, completely unsure if this was such a good idea. As she passed Draco, she couldn't help but mutter, "Your mother has lost her mind."

She saw the blond man smirk before rolling his eyes and turning to the stack of books on the table.

"I'll see you this evening, Granger."

Malfoy only had a few moments before a house elf entered with a rather pale Astoria in tow.

"Master Draco, Miss Greengrass to see yous, sir."

Astoria aimed a glare at the house elf for the use of her maiden name then turned to Draco.

"Draco, thank you for reconsidering. I am so very sorry for by abysmal behavior the other morning. I was just shocked, and had just found out about our baby. I wasn't in the right state of mind. I do hope your father will forgive me for the hex."

Draco sighed.

"Honestly, I have no idea, but more than likely not, seeing how you are now blackmailing my entire family. I don't understand, Astoria, you should know I wouldn't abandon a child of mine, why do you have to use this as a bargaining chip?"

"Do you honestly think I want to deal with being pregnant, having a child, all of this and not be married? I would be the laughingstock of the wizarding world!"

"Are you really pregnant?"

Astoria gasped.

"How can you ask that? Even I have my limits!"

"I have yet to see them. Now answer the question."

She drew out her wand and cast a spell on herself. A pale blue light glowed around her midsection.

"It's a boy," he whispered.

"And yours, I swear on it."

Draco felt the whisp of a spell, signifying the Wizarding oath she had just taken. Well, that answered his other question.

He clenched his jaw as he stared at her stomach, watching the light fade away. He really was going to be a father.

"I will take you to the ball tonight, but please, wait to tell anyone. So many times, a pregnancy doesn't end well... I would rather be sure that we will actually have this baby before I announce it to all of my friends," he told her quietly, watching her face.

"I understand... of course I will wait. I knew you would do the right thing, Draco, darling," she cooed at him.

He couldn't help but think the _right_ thing would be taking the baby out of her and putting it into another witch, any other witch... perhaps a witch with brown hair and chocolate colored eyes...

Draco snapped back to the present.

"Perhaps you should rest before this evening. Mother always said the early weeks of pregnancy are so tiring."

"She was very right, Draco. I'll see you later on, then."

With that she turned and exited the library, humming a lullaby.

~*~*~

Narcissa Malfoy was a woman on a mission. By late afternoon, she had turned Hermione into a sight to behold. The older woman had an assortment of beautiful gowns and dress robes. She ran through many before selecting the palest blue, long flowing gown that now adorned Hermione's body. It sunk just low enough to hint at a rather ample bosom, but was hardly indecent. She had silver strappy heels and a silver cloak. Kipsy had done wonders with her hair. It was sleek and shiny. She wore it pulled up on her head, curls cascading down her neck.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hermione couldn't help but ask again.

"Of course! Now, let's hurry... we want you and Lucius to arrive before Astoria and Draco."

Hermione still had misgivings about this, but she had to admit, a part of her enjoyed dressing up and acting the part of a queen... something she knew she would do quite often if she remained Mrs. Malfoy.

Hermione and Narcissa made their way to the top of the grand staircase that lead to the entry way of the Manor. She noticed that Lucius, Draco and Marcus Flint were at the bottom, talking rather heatedly, but they all stopped when she began to descend the stairs.

Lucius Malfoy wore a look of shock on his face she had never seen before, though he quickly hid it behind his trademark smirk.

"So, you can tame that hair of yours, Miss Granger. I never would have believed it," he drawled.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her escort.

"I see the same thing cannot be said for your tongue, Mister Malfoy."

"Oh, I assure you, my tongue is not what you should worry about," he murmered silkily.

Hermione caught herself blushing before turning her gaze on Draco. The younger Malfoy's eyes were burning with something she thought she recognized as desire, but she really couldn't be sure.

"You look... nice, Granger," he remarked.

Her heart sunk. Nice... lovely, what a comment. She pasted a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Malfoy."

"Nice? Mate, you need to work on your compliments. You, my dear, are breathtaking," Marcus told her, bending over her hand to brush the faintest of kisses against her knuckles.

Hermione nearly giggled at the prim and proper actions of the Pureblood wizard. She saw Draco's jaw clench at the action and had to wonder what was going through his mind.

"We really must be off before Astoria and Daphne emerge," Lucius told her, taking her hand and placing it in the crook of her arm. "We will see you later, Draco, Flint."

The older Malfoy led her to the Apparition point located in the massive gardens, then pulled her into nothingness.

They arrived in the immaculate foyer of the Parkinson's home. She recognized the pug face of Pansy as she looked on in shock at seeing the venerable Head of the Malfoy family with Hermione Granger on his arm. Hermione couldn't help but smirk at her old school mate.

"Careful, you are starting to act like a Malfoy, my dear," Lucius whispered in her ear.

"What can I say, you're a bad influence on me," she whispered back.

He just patted her hand and led her into the spacious ballroom.

Half an hour later, the Flints and Draco arrived with a rather smug looking Astoria permanently attached to the younger man's arm. The sun was just starting to set and the party was in full swing. Malfoy and the younger Greengrass made their way into the grand hall just as the sun sunk into the horizon. Hermione began to feel agitated.

"Are you quite alright, Miss Granger?" her date asked in an undertone.

"Yes, it's just a little warm in here," she replied, swaying slightly on the spot.

"Perhaps some fresh air will help."

Lucius led her towards the large French doors that led out to a grand balcony. Hermione nearly stumbled as the room began to spin. She could feel her pulse race. She realized this felt eerily like the other night, but there was no full moon tonight, so why...

Suddenly she felt a jolt go through her. She gasped and leaned heavily onto the man next to her as the moonlight hit her. She felt his arm go around her to steady her and she could hear him speaking but couldn't make out the words. She glanced up at the sky, the moon round and swollen, but not a true full moon, then all hell broke loose.

~*~*~

Draco entered the ballroom, wincing at the high pitched tone Astoria's voice had taken sometime during their entrance. It was as if she wanted the entire hall to notice them. He caught sight of his father and Hermione in the open doorway leading out onto the deserted balcony. He realized how beautiful she looked, silhoueted by the moonlight. His pulse started to quicken as he watched her. A surge of emotion welled up within him. She was _his._ Every inch of her was his to do with as he pleased. Without realizing it, he began walking towards her. He was brought up short when she leaned into his father. He watched as his father placed his arm around her and led her out into the night. His father leaned over to whisper something in the witch's ear and Draco Malfoy saw red.

**A/N: Mwahaha!! Who loves cliffies??? lol... Sorry if this felt a bit rushed, I may go flesh it out a bit, but two of my kids are fighting (they need a nap) and I really wanted to get this finished before the baby woke up to eat again... I thought it got the important parts out... this was annoying and a filler more than anything, something that I needed to get me to the juicy parts.. lol.. who wants to see Draco hex his dear daddy? Or maybe something else... guess you'll just have to wait!! Thanks Kady and olgameisterfunk (did I get that right? lol) for your help! Good beta's are so hard to come by... I feel blessed!**


	11. I Need You Now Tonight

**Chapter Ten**

**I Need You Now Tonight**

Hermione moaned as consciousness returned to her. She slowly opened her eyes but shut them when a wave of nausea hit her. A slow burn began in the pit of her stomach and her breath hitched in her chest.

"Hermione?"

She gasped at the familiar voice and quickly turned to glance at her bedside.

"Harry? What… what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice harsh and gravely.

Harry smiled down at his best friend sheepishly then tossed a newspaper on her lap.

"I saw this and… I knew something wasn't right, so I came looking for you. Mrs. Malfoy said you were here and brought me up. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

Hermione glanced down at the paper and cringed. On the front page of the _Evening Prophet_ was a moving picture that showed the horrific scene of Draco physically attacking his father. It then showed his father pull back and curse his son, ending with her slumping onto the floor unconscious. She couldn't help but groan.

"Mione, what's going on?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I don't even know where to begin," she started, trying to focus on the man sitting next to her but finding it nearly impossible. Her thoughts kept drifting to the blond man that must be somewhere in the manor. "Where's Draco?"

"_Draco? _It's _Draco_ now?" Harry asked in shock.

Hermione just sighed.

"I… I made a mistake. I'm sorta… _bonded_ to him now, so, yes… it's Draco now," she told him hoping he wouldn't ask for a full explanation right this moment, she was finding it harder and harder to concentrate and the burn in her lower abdomen was growing increasingly stronger. "Now, where is he?"

"I have no idea. What do you mean you're _bonded_ to him now? Isn't he married to the Greengrass girl?"

Hermione bared her teeth, feeling a rush of anger at the mention of Astoria.

"No, he's _not_ married to Astoria, not any more, he's married to _me!_" she bit out then snapped her mouth shut in surprise. Where had that come from?

"Hermione, I think you must have hit your head… you're talking crazy."

"I told you, it's a long story. I don't know what's wrong with me Harry, but… I think I need Draco," she told him, tears blurring her vision.

Harry looked at her, unsure but in the end he went out of the room in search of one of the Malfoys.

Hermione took a deep breath, her pulse racing and tried to think. What in the world was wrong with her? Why was she acting like this? Why couldn't she focus? Why did she _need_ Draco?

The door to her room opened once again only this time Harry was accompanied by Narcissa.

"Hermione, dear, are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Not really, something's wrong," she told her mother-in-law, her voice wobbling slightly.

"Oh, dear, what is it?"

"I… I don't know," she told her, feeling lost and out of her element. She always had an answer except for lately, lately she just didn't know up from down.

"Draco's sleeping; Lucius had to give him a rather potent sleeping draught to calm him. I'll go see if I can revive him and have him come to you, okay dear?"

Hermione just nodded.

"What happened? At the party, I mean," Hermione asked. Narcissa cringed.

"It wasn't pretty. I have no idea what came over Draco, one minute Astoria said he was fine, then the next he was storming the balcony and he… he _punched_ Lucius!"

"He what? What did Lucius do?" Hermione gasped out.

"Stunned him, then portkeyed him out. It's all over the papers," she told the younger woman, her hands busy worrying her skirts.

"I know. Harry showed me… so much for our grand plan… what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know; we'll discuss it once Draco is back to himself. You should rest, dear."

"I don't know if I can. I just feel… wrong. I can't even explain it, I-" Hermione was cut off by her door flying open. Her eyes shot up to the intense gray orbs she had come to know so well.

"Draco, darling! What in the world are you doing up? That sleeping draught should have kept you out of it for at least twelve hours!" Narcissa spoke up in surprise.

"Well, obviously it needs work, now, please, leave us alone, I need to talk to Hermione," he told his mother, his voice coming our harshly.

"Now wait just a minute, Malfoy," Harry spoke up, moving between the irate blond and Hermione.

"Potter, it is taking everything within me not to _throw_ you out of my home… I am only letting you remain because I know you are Hermione's friend. I am asking you as politely as I can to _move your arse out of this room!_"

"Harry, it's fine, he's not going to hurt me," Hermione whispered to her worried friend, hoping she was right. She felt right… in her heart, she knew, Draco Malfoy would never hurt her again, and in a way, that was a very troubling thought indeed.

* * *

Draco woke up in his room, disoriented and agitated. The last thing he remembered, really remembered, was walking into the ballroom and seeing his father and Hermione making their way out onto the balcony, both looking a little too cozy for comfort, then everything was a red haze. His whole body now ached and a strong desire was bubbling up in his chest. He _needed_ to see Hermione; he had to make sure she was okay.

That thought froze him. Since when had she meant that much to him? When did she go from irritating mud-muggleborn to someone he… _cared_ about?

He growled as he threw off his covers. It was the damn spell! It had to be, it was twisting his mind, making him think things, feel things. He threw his robes on and stalked out of his room. He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. Where was Hermione? He felt a tugging in his chest, pulling him down the hall and towards the room she had used the other night. He threw open the door and saw _Potter_ and his mother gathered around Hermione's bed while she lay amidst the covers and chatted with them. He wasn't even sure what he said to his mother and Potter, but whatever it was, it made them leave and he was at last alone with Hermione.

He made his way over to her bedside and sat in the chair his mother had just vacated. He laid a hand over hers and immediately felt a calm peace settle within his chest. His mind cleared and he was finally able to think straight.

"Are you okay? You look really pale," he whispered, afraid to meet her eyes.

"I feel… I actually feel much better, now that you're here," she told him sheepishly.

He glanced up into her face and finally met her eyes with his. The intense look he found there pulled at him. Gently, so as not to hurt her, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. A fire ignited as soon as her velvety lips touched his.

Hermione gasped at the feelings his innocent kiss brought forth.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What are you apologizing for?" Hermione asked huskily.

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

Hermione pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him heatedly, thrusting her tongue deep in his mouth. Draco kissed her back just as harshly, basking in the feel of her body pressed roughly against his.

"It's this damn spell," he told her when they finally pulled apart for a breath.

"I know, and right now, I just can't bring myself to care," she mumbled.

"Oh, thank Merlin," he muttered before pouncing on her, roughly pulling her clothes off while she ripped at his pants. It only took seconds before both lay naked on the bed, Draco buried deep within her wet heat. They moved together, but knew they wouldn't last.

Hermione came under him, pulling him along with her. Draco rolled off and pulled her snug against him. The couple fell into an easy sleep, completely forgetting the irate Chosen One who was waiting impatiently in the ground floor sitting room.

* * *

Draco woke first the next morning, and for the first time, he didn't feel any unease at finding the sleeping brunette snuggled against him. He actually felt at peace, something he… well, something he had never felt before. What was she doing to him? He watched her eyes flutter open and expected shock to filter into them before she would jump up and pull away, but he was surprised to see calm acceptance in her eyes instead.

"Morning," she mumbled, gently pulling back away from him.

"Morning," he replied. "How-" he was cut off by his father's voice.

"Good morning," he drawled, drawing the sleepy couple's attention to where he was perched by the door.

Draco sat up in surprise and pulled the covers up around Hermione so his father wouldn't be able to see anything. She just sighed before speaking to Lucius.

"What do you want?" she asked, slightly annoyed at her father-in-law.

"Get dressed, then meet me in my study, we need to talk," he told them before spinning on his heels and stalking out of the room.

"Would it kill him to say please?" she muttered while pulling herself out of bed and looking for something to wear.

"Just call Kipsy if you need something," he suggested. "I'm going to go back to my room and get ready. I'll come get you and we can head down there together," he told her.

She just nodded and made her way to the ensuite bathroom.

Draco sighed and made his way down the hall to his room. He was in for a long day… and wasn't Potter lurking around somewhere? Maybe today wouldn't just be long, but slightly amusing as well. There were just so many ways to get under the Boy Who Lived's skin… yes, today might actually be fun.

**A/N: well, what can I say? I'm back! Lol, I know it has been a LONG time, but I hope some of you are still reading this! I don't know why, but I was totally stuck here… it took me forever to get this the way I wanted… there is a short kind of in-between part before the real fun begins and I just had trouble with it, but I've got it worked out now and I'm on a roll! You may want to reread to get yourself caught back up, lol, but thanks again for reading and thanks to those who review, it has really pushed me along! Keep them coming! They give me inspiration! Thanks! And for those who know, by beta is no longer with this story, so I thanks go to Laurie for looking over this while I find a new beta!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: OMG! Did you think I had died? I am so sorry that it has been FOREVER! I had total brain shutdown when it came to Harry Potter. I just couldn't write. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING was coming out. I nearly gave up, but I promised this would be finished, and it will be. I have a newborn though, so I can't promise it will be quick. You may want to re-read this to know or remember what's going on. I actually had to as well...**

**I know this is short, not even 2k words, but it's a start, it's about all I could get out right now. I have a good chunk of the next chapter ready as well, but I needed a little filler, a bridge, I needed to let you know a bit of where the character's brains are. That and I was a little rusty... my brain has been buried in Destiel and Supernatural *blush* so it took a few tries to get Mione and Malfoy back out! That being said, I offer you the next chapter and a promise to not make you wait as long for the next part. And for those few of you who read both HP and SPN work... don't worry about HR. It's at the beta's (I rewrote the entire opening scene so.. yeah... it's coming!) Thank you so much for your patience and for the amazing reviews. I have so many and am so busy between writing and my kids (I now have four) that I may not answer but that doesn't mean I don't LOVE every word. I have read every single review at least ten times... if you REALLY want a response or have a question, then you are more than welcome to PM me and I will definitely get those answered. THANK YOU TO MY WONDERFUL READERS! You make my day! Okay, rant done.. now go read, I know you've been waiting patiently!  
**

**To Save the Life of a Mudblood**

**Chapter Eleven**

Harry paced the large, ornate foyer while his mind wandered to what Malfoy and Hermione could possibly be doing up in that room. On second thought, no, his mind was _not _going to what they could be doing, he really, _really_ didn't want to know what they were doing behind that closed door.

"Potter, don't you have something better to do than pacing my home? Perhaps the world needs saving again," Lucius Malfoy's voice broke through his musings.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry responded in greeting. The patriarch may have changed his tune since the war, but the Boy Who Lived still didn't trust the wizard. Not by a long shot.

"I take it you're here for your friend?" Lucius asked, arms crossed haughtily across his chest.

"No, I'm here because your son and I have been secret best mates for years… of course I'm here for Hermione," Harry couldn't help but snark. Lucius sniffed at his tone.

"Well, I suppose I should leave you be then, after all, you are a guest of my daughter-in-law."

"Yeah, about that… that's not going to last. If you can't figure out a way to break this, then I can guarantee you I will," Harry told him, voice seething out in growing anger.

"Have you asked Miss Granger if she _wants_ this broken?" the elder wizard asked, smirk firmly in place.

"Why the hell would she _not_ want it broken?" Harry asked incredulously. "This is the same wizard that tormented her for years, verbally attacked her, wanted her _dead._"

"They were children then. You of all people can't possibly be saying that change is impossible."

Harry seethed at Lucius's tone and what he was implying.

"I think change is entirely possible, but in the case of your bigoted son, pretty improbable."

"If that were true, then why are you down here while my son is upstairs with Granger?"

Harry didn't have anything to say to that. It was true that Hermione hadn't protested Malfoy all but throwing him out of the room… in fact, she had been persistently asking for the other wizard.

"It's this… spell, whatever it's done, it's messed with her mind."

"Really."

Harry glared at Lucius.

"You know, they may be up there for a while. Perhaps you should return tomorrow," the older wizard offered.

"I think I'll wait," was his response.

Narcissa walked into her husband's study. Lucius was sitting behind his large, ornate desk staring at the paper that lay on top. She sighed. Her husband glanced up at the sound and gave her a small smile.

"I don't think your plan worked so well, Dear," Narcissa told him. He smirked at that.

"Yes, I have to agree."

"Your son attacked you, with his fists! Like a… like a Muggle."

"Yes, I know. I was there, 'Cissa."

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, coming to stand beside her husband, her eyes straying to the moving photo of Draco lunging at his father.

"Perhaps we should come out with our story now, before Astoria has a chance to say anything. People tend to believe the first thing they read."

"And how do we spin this? What reason would Draco have for attacking you? I don't see anyway of salvaging this…"

"I know, 'Cissa. You don't have to remind me of what a mess this is, but… we've dealt with worse. I say we go, tell our story, play off Draco's attack, tell them he wasn't prepared to see me with Granger there and… he went a little too far. Draco is a very jealous boy, anyone would believe that."

"I suppose that might work… it might be our only option," Narcissa told her husband, laying a hand on his broad shoulder. She let her fingers idly play with the platinum locks that lay across his shoulders.

"Lucius, what exactly is this spell doing to those two?" she asked. She knew very little about the spell, merely that it was a binding spell and that intercourse was required to complete the spell, other than that, she was in the dark and she did _not _like being in the dark. Especially when it came to her son.

"I'm not entirely sure," he told his wife, refusing to meet her eyes.

"You're keeping something from me, Lucius Malfoy," she said to her husband, fingers tightening on his shoulder. He winced as her nails dug into him.

"Narcissa, I honestly don't know everything the spell does, but I know its power is the strongest on the full moon. I also know that the power grows with the waxing of the moon and it dissipates with the waning of the moon. It will continue to pull them together until the moon is at a new stage, then as the moon fills, the power will start again."

"And it will, what? Just keep going, driving them slowly insane?" Narcissa asked.

"No. I believe it will stop once she conceives," he admitted. Narcissa raised on perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"And do they know that?"

Lucius scoffed.

"Of course not. Granger is already near apoplectic about the whole situation, why make it worse."

"Lucius. You should be honest with her. She has put up with all of this so far, the least we can do is offer her the truth," Narcissa scolded. Her husband sighed.

"How did I know you would say something like that?"

"Because I'm the smart one. Now, when Draco and Hermione come down to speak with you, you will tell them _everything_ you know about this spell."

"Yes, Dear," he agreed. It was wise to never disagree with a Black woman.

"Very good. Now, I am off to keep Astoria busy, you will speak with your son, then we can see about calling out someone to take the story." Narcissa leaned over to kiss her husbands cheek before waltzing out of the room, head held high.

Hermione stood outside of Draco's room. Her mind had cleared while he was with her, but within minutes of his leaving, she was back to the lost, disoriented feelings. This spell, because that's what it had to be, was playing havoc with her mind. She didn't know up from down.

She was starting to feel something for Malfoy, something that wasn't real, or so her mind was screaming. Her heart was screaming something else… or was it her heart that was screaming at her to run while her mind screamed how much she needed Draco? She didn't know! Her mind was a jumbled mess!

Hermione took a deep breath, fighting down the hammering need to see the wizard, to center her. She could figure this out. Where there's a will, there's a way.

She reached out hesitantly and knocked on the heavy, wooden door.

"Come in," Draco called from the depths of his room. She pushed open the large, ornate door and glanced around the room. Malfoy walked out from the bathroom and offered her a tentative smile.

"Ready to face my father?" he asked.

"I'm not the one that threw a punch at him," she reminded the wizard. He cringed at her words. She sighed. "Don't worry, he's not going to do too much damage to you. You're his only heir. He needs you to continue the Malfoy line," she offered jokingly.

"You'd be surprised how much pain the human body can withstand without dying," he muttered under his breath but Hermione heard him anyway. Her smile fell from her face.

"Draco, you're father loves you. He proved that in the end. He won't hurt you," she told him seriously.

"That's a lot of faith to have in the man that more or less tried to kill you on multiple occasions."

"I never said I trusted him with _my _life, but I _do_ trust him with yours."

"I hope you're right."

Hermione walked over to the large bed and sat down on the edge. She couldn't help but fidget with her sleeves.

"Draco, we really need to figure something out about this… bond. I know I said I'd help you, and I will, but… there has to be something we can do to stop these damn… urges."

"Urges, Granger?" he asked with a smirk. She glared at him.

"You know what I mean. You feel it, too. We don't actually feel this way, you can't tell me we do! The damn spell is controlling us and I don't like it! There _has_ to be a way to block the effects, even if we can't actually break the bond."

Draco shifted on his feet, gray eyes flicking over her before staring out towards the large window.

"We can look. You're the brightest witch of our age, and I'm, well, me. If there's a way, we'll find it." Hermione sighed once again.

"I hope so. No offense, Malfoy, because I know you've changed and all, but if I'm going to fall for one of my worst enemies, I'd like to do it of my own free will," she told him with a smirk of her own. Draco snorted at her words before offering her a genuine smile for once.

"Well, then we'll have to break this so I show you what a catch I really am."

"And there's that Malfoy arrogance, I was starting to miss it."

"I bet. Come on, we don't want to make my father wait."

"Merlin forbid. All right. Let's go."


End file.
